(Adds PN, Government statements)
The use of heavy fuel oil at the Delimara power station extension was approved by Mepa this afternoon with 10 votes in favour and Nationalist MP Ryan Callus and NGO representative Alex Vella voting against.
Former Minister George Pullicino, who was among the public, said that had the board been concerned about the use of heavy fuel oil, it would not be considering the extension of the permit.
Mr Callus said he was extremely disappointed that a decision had been made to present the decision for public consultation without the board being informed.
A massive argument broke out when Mr Pullicino said that someone had taken a decision to extend the permit without the board being consulted or its chairman informed.
“Who took the decision behind your back, was it the Prime Minister, Konrad Mizzi, Mepa’s CEO...? he asked
The PL’s representative on the board, Joe Sammut, told Mr Pullicino that if he knew who, he had to say it.
A shouting match ensued.
Mr Pullicino insisted that while it was now OK to extend the use of heavy oil, it had before the election been dubbed as a cancer factory.
He said he had gone through all the data for a number of elements such as sulphur oxide, particulate matter, carbon and nitrogen oxide, available on the Enemalta website, and, in the majority of cases ,the emissions did not exceed limits stipulated by Mepa.
The majority of exceptions took place when the machines were switched off and on again. So results showed that opting for heavy fuel oil had not been the wrong decision.
Board member Veronique Dalli said these ere political statement and should not be made before the board because it was not the right forum.
DECISION UNCOVERS PM's DECEIT - PN
The decision to extend the use of heavy fuel oil uncovered the Prime Minister’s deceit and showed that his campaign before the election had been built on the people's fears and emotions, the Nationalist Party said this evening.
In a statement it said that following a whole crusade against the use of heavy fuel oil comparing the power station to a cancer factory, the Government today requested Mepa’s approval to extend its use.
In the last legislature, the PN said, Dr Muscat, then leader of the Opposition, had insisted the Government should transform the power station to diesel with immediate effect. In December 2011 the Labour Party promised that a new Government would immediately embark on the process to transform the power station to gas, as a first step towards moving to gas oil.
This once again showed that what Labour promised before the election no longer counted.
In its IPPC permit issued last December, Mepa had stipulated that the use of heavy fuel oil would only be permitted until the end of June by when air monitoring results had to be presented.
The fact that the Prime Minister opted not to keep his work could mean that he was either being deceitful before the election or he was being irresponsible now placing the people’s health in danger. Today’s decision, the PN said, uncovered the Prime Minister’s deceit.
It said it was ironic that the decision to extend the use of heavy fuel oil was taken in the same week that Environment Minister Leo Brincat was organising a series of activities to increase conscience on air quality.
The decision confirmed that, for the Prime Minister and Mr Brincat, any discussion on air quality was just rhetoric and hot air.
It was clear that the campaign against heavy fuel oil was just a campaign of deceit built on fear and emotions.
OPPOSITION'S CRITICISM REFLECTS ITS HYPOCRISY - GOVERNMENT
In another statement, the Government said the Opposition’s criticism showed the hypocrisy of those who landed the country which a power station which was operated by heavy fuel oil.
For the criticism was coming from the same people who had changed environmental legislation for the country to be able to use this fuel.
Mepa’s decision to extend the use of heavy fuel oil had to be taken now because the previous Government had postponed the decision before the last election.
The Opposition knew well enough that the extension was needed and this was because under the previous administration a temporary permit had been issued for the power station to be operated on heavy fuel oil until all necessary studies were carried out.
This Government remained against the use of heavy fuel oil and from its first day in office, it started working to enable the transformation of the station to gas. This work was on track and Mepa was leading a power purchase and gas supply project which should lead to cleaner air and cheaper bills.
Had it been for the Nationalist Opposition, the people who have to continue lumping heavy fuel oil for the next 20 years. But through the present Government’s policy, the use of heavy fuel oil would be completely eliminated from Malta by 2015.