The Nationalist Party will be publishing its energy proposals in the coming days, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday, as he warned that Labour’s plans for this sector could jeopardise Malta’s financial stability.
Dr Gonzi said further details would soon emerge on the Government’s plans, including a Qatari proposal to set up a terminal in Malta to sell gas to Europe.
Speaking during an interview on Radio 101, the Prime Minister savaged the PL’s “amateur” energy plan to build a new gas-fired power station intended to slash tariffs.
He said Labour had underestimated the spending needed on its plans by €200 million, and warned the initiative would actually lead to an increase in power tariffs. Furthermore, he urged the electorate to ask how anyone could be in a position to negotiate a fixed gas price for 10 years when prices were rising.
“Anyone who is objective and isn’t prejudiced should make his calculations and realise the mistakes,” he said.
Dr Gonzi called on the Labour leader to come clean and divulge which private investors his party had spoken to and asked why it had failed to publish the experts’ reports. He asked why Labour was ditching a gas pipeline partly funded by the EU, opting instead for more expensive sea transport.
“In the coming days we will keep exposing the mistakes,” Dr Gonzi said.
On the other hand, the Government was forging ahead with building an interconnector to Sicily which would come into operation by 2014.
The Government will also tap EU funds to build a gas pipeline from Sicily to Malta’s power station.
Dr Gonzi said the PN would roll out a tourism plan for Gozo, which would include incentives for investors and a €300,000 schemes for hotels to better their services.
He also pledged the introduction of a new ferry service, similar to a taxi service, between Grand Harbour and Gozo.
Further incentives would be given for SMEs in Gozo, including income tax cuts for those who opened any business in Gozo. The cost of licences would be drastically reduced for Gozo-related business. The Gozo Ministry would be supplemented by a Gozo Regional Council, which would include MPs elected from Gozo, tasked with passing by-laws related to the island.
When the interviewer pointed out that the Nationalist Party had opted for a soft launch to the electoral campaign, Dr Gonzi said it helped to establish the difference between a party which thrived on gimmicks and a Nationalist Party determined to explain its programme.
Dr Gonzi urged the electorate to stop being fooled by Labour’s claims that the Nationalists have been in power for 25 years. Labour remained ashamed of its 22-month stint in power, while PN has been in government for 14 years, and its leader has been serving for eight years.
“Weigh up everything. We need to realise we’re voting on crucial issues... We’re not perfect but results speak for themselves.”
The Prime Minister earlier toured the Gozitan business community in Victoria and said his party was committed towards establishing a permanent link between Malta and Gozo.
The Government recently issued a tender for the commissioning of an in-depth feasibility study for an undersea tunnel between Malta and Gozo and if found financially feasible, the PN will give it priority.
“We don’t promise magical formulas like the one Labour is proposing to reduce energy bills. We offer tangible proposals,” he told reporters.
A preliminary study on the tunnel project between the two islands has already been given a positive signal. However, the new study will go much deeper into the project and will establish whether it makes sense from a cost and economic point of view.
He said during the past five years EU funds had been tapped and invested in new arterial roads, a new sea terminal in both Malta and Gozo, and the refurbishment of Villa Rundle, among other projects.
Dr Gonzi said that during this electoral campaign the PN will once again prove it is the best option for Gozitans with a series of new proposals.