Finance Minister Tonio Fenech yesterday lobbied the Italian authorities to issue permits for an undersea cable that will provide Malta with electricity.

Mr Fenech was in Sicily fora meeting with regional president Raffaele Lombardoto make sure the Italian authorities respected the agreed time frames.

The interconnector will link the Maltese electricity grid with the south eastern town of Ragusa but the Italian authorities have not yet issued a permit for it.

A delay could hamper Malta’s plans to switch off the aged Marsa power station, which is currently operating in breach of EU directives.

In a statement, the Department of Information said the meeting was “cordial and positive”, with Mr Lombardo pledging his commitment for the deadlines to be respected.

“The meeting was intended to ensure the permitting process for the interconnector to hook up with the Italian grid respected the original deadlines, especially after some technical problems were ironed out,” the statement said.

The interconnector will cost €182 million to build and will provide Malta with a steady electricity supply.

This year the Malta Environment and Planning Authority gave the go-ahead for the necessary infrastructure to be built at Magħtab where the cable will land.

Mr Fenech was accompanied by Malta’s ambassador to Italy Charles Inguanez, Enemalta chief executive Louis Giordimaina and other company officials.

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