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Updated: Long power cuts as third cable fails

Updated 11 p.m.

A third power cable failed this evening, causing fresh misery to thousands of households in the Msida-Swatar-Ta'Xbiex area.

Power has been going off for long periods since yesterday.

Enemalta in a statement early this evening said that following earlier reports regarding the cable fault affecting the Msida, Birkirkara, Swatar and Pieta area, its employees had managed to re-route alternative supply to some of the residents in Birkirkara, Santa Venera and Pieta.

Meanwhile, 'jointing' was taking place and repairs on one of the cables were well underway, whilst repairs would start soon on a second feeder cable which had also developed a fault.

"At around 7pm a different fault, on a separate circuit occurred in parts of Pieta, Msida and Ta' Xbiex area," the corporation said.

10.30 p.m. UPDATE

At 10.30 pm Enemalta said that "the  situation is expected to revert back to normal very soon, in the coming hours."

It said employees had repaired one of the main cables which caused the Msida, Santa Venera, Birkirkara, Swatar and Pieta power cut earlier this week and also today. Meanwhile, works were continuing on the second cable.

Furthermore, the fault which affected Pieta, Msida and Ta’ Xbiex had been isolated. Supply to Pieta was restored at 7.53pm whilst supply to Msida and Ta’ Xbiex "should be restored in around an hour."

The original fault developed just before 3 a.m. and affected parts of Floriana, Msida, Birkirkara, Swatar, Santa Venera, Pieta and Guardamangia.

Some areas of Msida, Santa Venera, Pieta and Guardamangia had power restored by 8.30 am. At 9:32 parts of Floriana and Msida were re-energised, whilst electricity was fully restored at 10.09.

Enemalta said its employees had unearthed the faulty cable and commenced repairs. In the meantime, however, the feeder which was used to re-energise the affected areas this morning was affected by another fault.

Whilst regretting every inconvenience caused, Enemalta said it wanted to assure the public that its employees were working around the clock to fix these faults in the shortest time possible.

"Sometimes reconnection is easy as electricity can be supplied from another distribution cable, however sometimes and especially in cases like this of repeated faults on cables supplying the same areas, there is no option but to wait until the cable fault is fixed to restore supply as no alternative source exists. This unfortunately takes longer as it involves locating the damage on a cable which is underground, digging the road and repairing the damaged cable."

A resident of Swatar told timesofmalta:

"It has been the third consecutive day where we have experienced power cuts in Swatar every six hours lasting for about 4 hours each. In summer it is impossible to live without AC or at least fans! Last night was my second sleepless night due to the excessive heat and this is unacceptable in my 'supposed to be' developed nation."

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Paul Giordimaina

Aug 12th 2012, 09:59

Lapira second konna qabel mela insejt li il gvern tieghek kien xtara il power station minn Sqalija u wara inqas riedu flus tahha ghax kienet ghal riemi.

Ronnie Callus

Aug 12th 2012, 08:56

@ Kevin Marks:
Mela ma tafx Kevin li regu laqtulhom CABLE. !!!!! Il-Hmar il-Makus qed idur id-Dubien ghalih issa. Dak il-queue ta' nies li gabu fuq il-Billboard tal-PN, nies jistennew id-dawl jigi biex forsi jixghelu Fan jew Fridge. Jahsra fhiex wasalnih dan il-pajjiz. Imbghad mhux hekk !! ikun minn jghidlek ! Mur ara kemm ir-restaurants ikollhom nies nhar ta' sibt jew il-hadd. Qiesu ghalihom il-Progress tal-pajjiz jitkejjel fuq jumejn biss. Kieku hawn tant progress li jghidu li hawn ma' mhessniex ghandna dan id-dejn kollu, ghax suppost taxxa tingabar izjed ( jekk qed tingabar kif suppost).

Ronnie Callus

Aug 12th 2012, 09:29

@ Norber Mifsud:
'alla hares tigi tghidli Sur. Mifsud li Gonzi qata l-cables hu, ghax veru ma' nafx fejn inkunu wasalna !!! Imma li jara lil min suppost jghamel xogholu tajjeb qed jghamlu , jista . Bhal perezempju li waqt ix-xogholijiet fejn ikun hemm cables ( li suppost ikunu indikati mill-Ene Malta fuq pjanti) l-Ene Malta jibghatu lil xi hadd josserva ix-xoghol, mhux wara li jintradam kollox u jinqala 'Fault' jigu jghidulna li kien intlaqat cable. Fejn hi s-serjeta !!! jien niftakar li qabel dan kien isir, issa donnu mhux isir, jew inkella jghalqu ghajnejhom. Din nghidulha serjeta jew tbazwir u hela ta' flus il-poplu.

D. Xerri

Aug 11th 2012, 20:08

Fi zmien Mintoff l-ewwel haga qed issemmi 30 Sena ilu !
u t-Tieni haga 30 sena ilu konna b`Power Station Wahda bil-Faham !
illum infaqna l-Mijjiet tal-Miljuni tal-Liri f`Power Station ohra Gdida li bnejna f`Dellimara u snin twal ilu weghdna lill poplu li l-Power Station tal-Marsa ta zmien Mintoff li semmejt int kellha tinghalaq imma hemm ghada - u llum b`Zewg Power Stations u 30 sena wara ghadna l-istess !

SAVIOUR FARRUGIA

Aug 11th 2012, 22:22

morna 30 sena lura

Anthony Pace Gouder

Aug 12th 2012, 02:57

Frans ............. fi zmien MINTOFF kien ghad ma kellniex 'state -of-thr -art' power station/s u l-infrastruttura li ghandna illum ! ........fejn intefqu MIJIET TA; MILJUNI ......... Iva ,Irraguna ftit .

Martin Busuttil

Aug 12th 2012, 08:45

Hadd, min tridu jkun responsabbli?
L-ufficcju kien inharqilna parti sew mis-sistema tan-network, u taf min hallas ta' din il-hsara, hadd hlief l-imghallem, madwar 5,000 ewro.
Basta jghidulek biex tibghat e-mail, u kopji tal-ircevuti, imma l-hlas minn-naha taghhom ma jasal qatt.
U dan fiz-zmien meta suppost ghandna power station state of the art. Imma l-pajjiz ghadu jiddependi fuq power station (ta' zmien Mintoff) li kien jghidu li kien jarma bl-imbarazz.
Sewwa jghidu, li l-ispizjar milli jkollu jtik!

Justin Spiteri

Aug 11th 2012, 18:52

Class Action Lawsuits have just been introduced in Malta, correct?

cesco di luigi

Aug 11th 2012, 17:45

No, but they sure will line up for their bonuses!

Mary Pace

Aug 11th 2012, 17:40

Yes and poor workers have to make miracles!

Jay Oatmon

Aug 11th 2012, 21:01

Of course poor quality cable is cheaper and you bury the evidence anyway if you are the contractor.
You can see the way all the pavements are caved in where drainpipes run into the street and trucks have run over them. The answer is simple - higher kerbs, bury the drains deeper and don't use cheap plastic pipe.
My question is would you expect proper quality construction to become normal practice in Malta, or 'cheap and substandard' to continue?

Chris Grillo

Aug 12th 2012, 06:45

I wouldn't be surprised! Isn't every government like that?

J Vassallo

Aug 11th 2012, 17:13

I agree had to go out the house can't take it any more

William Caligari

Aug 11th 2012, 22:07


Paul, now we are under Gonzi PN, I mean everthing
is going in the right direction, suppost!!!!

Kenneth Galea

Aug 11th 2012, 13:56

Dan is-sajf l-iktar, a horrid and brutal summer in all forms. Enemalta cannot keep up with the demand anymore, it is not rocket science, a new and adequate power station is badly needed.

Mary Pace

Aug 11th 2012, 17:46

I agree with you this summer is the worst summer I remember and is a nightmare and living hell. Planning is not a word used by our Government when permission is given to build all these concrete building left right and centre without considering the impact on the the electricity, water supply and drainage systems. Malta is not Popeye trying to carry a load which is over and above its strength.

A Tonna

Aug 11th 2012, 14:38

I can confirm this.

Besides the obvious inconvenieces caused by these cuts, temperatures in fridges and freezers rise faster in this heat. Also, These may also cause damages to a number of electronic equipment and/or appliances.

ALBERT FENECH

Aug 11th 2012, 12:12

What about Arriva and Mater Dei - have their problems been solved?

ALBERT FENECH

ALBERT FENECH

Aug 11th 2012, 12:17

.... there again, come to think of it ... what problems? The only problems this country has had are those "invented" by Joe Muscat/PL ... otherwise, everything has been functioning like clockwork e.g. Enemalta, Air Malta etc.

ALBERT FENECH

Mark Vella

Aug 11th 2012, 14:57

Power cuts because the Maltese are so rich and can afford A/C running all days and night which might be overloading the cables! :) :)

Ronnie Callus

Aug 11th 2012, 16:11

@ J.Brincat:
They are waiting for the cable between Sicily and Malta to be installed, if not also told that it was hit by a contractor tool.

victor tabone

Aug 11th 2012, 11:52

INDIA PAJJIZ KOLLU KIEN BLA DAWL,

A Dimech

Aug 11th 2012, 20:31

Well - it is different - I explain why:-

India has an economy growing 7 to 8% every year - and this is why it is sturggling to keep up.

Malta is in recession - and still we are struggling to keep up!!

Hence I believe India has at least an excuse... we (or better Gonzi) don't!!

Jay Oatmon

Aug 11th 2012, 12:43

Malta suffers from poor electricity infrastructure (and other utilities) and also roads, because of cowboy contractors, non enforcement of regulations and of course corruption.
So everything is done on the cheap because it is easy and you bury the evidence of shoddy work and pocket the higher profits.
It is the main failure in Malta - enforcement, enforcement, enforcement - the only things that are enforced are those where a profit can be made (speeding fines for example).

Joe Vella

Aug 11th 2012, 10:01

@ j brincat, I guess you can call Smart those who for years had neglected to invest in the production of Electricity/water and in the distribution infrastructure of electricity/water. Those are your Socialist friends while they were in Government. Also, just a reminder that the first decision Dom Mintoff took in 1971 was to cancel the building of a Reverse Osmosis plant. For years under your Socialist friends, one had to stick his ears to the Rediffusion to find out when turn on/off the water tap.

ANTHONY PAVIA

Aug 11th 2012, 10:20

Joe Vella, you are simply emphasizing the fact that your Government, although 25 years in power, failed miserably to make good Mintoff's follies. Not using PN generated money mind you, but money that Mintoff's administration left in the till.

John Mifsud

Aug 11th 2012, 10:28

@ Joe Vella

This is to remind you, just in case you were born yesterday, that your beloved party has been governing our Islands for almost 25 years, half a century, almost a lifetime.

May I also remind you that around 20 years ago we were told that the Delimara power plant will solve our problems.

Ejja nikbru ftit, siehbi.......

Wally Vella-Zarb

Aug 11th 2012, 11:12

@ Joe Vella

You are not correct. The decision was to to cancel the distillation plant, not the reverse osmosis. Distillation was and remains the most expensive method of obtaining fresh water from the sea. The first reverse osmosis plant in Malta, supplied by Polymetrics, was scheduled to be operational in late 1982; at the time it was one of the largest facilities in the world. As for your other comment about the electricity infrastructure, were it not for the much-maligned Marsa plant bought from the UK in the early eighties (second-hand, obsolete, 'raċanċ', unreliable, etc) now still in use well after its planned closure, we would be in far deeper sh*t as regards the supply of electrical power.

Angelo Polidano

Aug 11th 2012, 12:39

Ifully agree with all the above comments regarding workmanship, but J.Brincat has always got to bring politics in every subject We will see how better off we will be when PL gets in power. Bet we will be hearing all the excuses that they can think of as an excuse for not keeping their promises. Time will tell.

pat muscat

Aug 11th 2012, 19:58

@ Joe Vella. PN has been around 'working hard' the result half Malta without electricity from the PN investment of Delimara which is not even paid for! Light a candle and curse darkness!

Ronnie Callus

Aug 11th 2012, 16:22

'@ J.Brincat:
We are really smart because Ene Malta is installing the Smart Meters although taking them centuries.

Andrew Scicluna

Aug 11th 2012, 23:05

For me when these power cuts being so frequent, means that the election is near !

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