A review of the costs and time frame of the power interconnector between Malta and Sicily was under way, the Energy Ministry said, adding that a re-routing would be necessary over a third of the cable’s length.
The Government accused the previous Administration of failing to say that part of the route had to be changed, as per the conditions imposed by the Italian Government.
“The new Government has been faced with a number of issues that led to problems it was now trying to solve,” a spokeswoman for the Energy Ministry said.
The Nationalist Party, however, is insisting that the issues were ironed out last February following a visit to Rome by an Enemalta technical team and several meetings between government officials from both countries.
The Energy Ministry spokeswoman said that the underwater cable would have to follow a different route over a 30-kilometre long stretch along its 97-kilometre path to bypass an oilfield, known as Vega B.
The conditions imposed by the Italians, she added, also demanded that an additional marine survey be carried out in the Vega B region.
In line with the permit issued by the Italian authorities, the interconnector point on the Italian side will be at Marina di Ragusa. A 20-kilometre-long underground cable will then connect to the Terna substation in Ragusa.
A number of other conditions must be met before works started, including more environmental surveys, which were expected to be handled by Enemalta and Terna by May, the spokeswoman said.
The interconnector project was originally estimated to cost about €200 million, partly funded by the EU. However, it is now thought the sum would be exceeded by €26 million.
The PN reacted saying that the total variation costs approved up to the date of the change in government stood at about €10 million. It challenged the Government to publish details of the “so called added costs to establish whether these are factual, in justification of what works or whether these are a worse-case scenario estimates that are continuously revised as the project develops”.
The Nationalist Government had said that Italy had given the go-ahead for the interconnector on January 27.
Malta has agreed to pay the Comune di Ragusa €600,000 as environmental compensation following protests by the Italian NGO Movimento Territorio Ragusa. Malta also agreed to pay the province €500,000.
The project played a key role during the election campaign, with the PN laying stress on the interconnector and looking at a gas pipeline in future.
Although the interconnector forms an important part of the Labour Government’s energy diversification policy, it will only contribute up to 20 per cent of the island’s electricity generation, 40 per cent coming from the new power station and another 40 per cent from the BWSC gas plant.
In December 2010, the previous Administration had signed a deal with French company Nexans to lay the cable. A five-kilometre tunnel is being bored between Magħtab and Kappara that will eventually hook up to the distribution centre there.
Once completed, the interconnector will see Malta connected to the European power grid.