Labour launched four more electoral proposals related to energy policies yesterday, building on existing government schemes.
Later, Resources Minister George Pullicino dismissed the proposals as “gimmicks”.
Speaking at Bulebel industrial estate, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said the focus of his party’s holistic energy policy would be solar energy through solar parks producing 20 megawatts of power each year.
The party intended to follow in the Government’s footsteps and set up solar parks in strategic places recommended by experts and “through a partnership with the private sector,” he said.
People living in apartments with no access to roofs would be given financial and commercial assistance to invest in solar panels on public buildings.
Labour is proposing setting up an Energy Efficiency Support Unit, whereby households would be able to have the way they consume their energy tested by a private company.
A report would help the household to decrease its energy consumption.
The party is also proposing a scheme for families to scrap old appliances and replace them with newer, less energy-wasting models through subsidies given to the commercial sector and another offering all households a free water-saving kit to help cut consumption by up to 25 per cent. This is already in place in Gozo, Dr Muscat said. These schemes will be included in the Budget for 2014.
Asked about their costing and financing, Dr Muscat replied: “These will be subsidised through savings made across all government departments with the introduction of the new tariffs system.”
For Mr Pullicino, “Labour did not announce four new measures but four more gimmicks”.
He noted that about 67,000 square metres of public space had already been given to private companies to install photovoltaic panels and the Government was in the process of tendering another 40,000 square metres.
About 15,000 families benefited from solar energy schemes. Three per cent of residential homes installed PV panels and 270 businesses were given €16 million in assistance to invest in solar energy. The Government was ready to invest another €19 million to help families install PV panels.
The rehabilitation of the Magħtab and Qortin landfills into parks for solar farms was also in the pipeline, he added.
Mr Pullicino noted that energy audits had been carried out in Gozo and public places and there was already a commitment to extend this to Malta and to sports associations.
As for the water-saving kit proposal, this was copy-and-paste of an initiative carried out in Gozo, which the Government had said would be extended to the whole of Malta.The Government had helped families buy 45,000 energy-efficient household appliances.