Structural works on a gas-fired power station in Delimara may not be seen above the surface but developers have started drilling down, according to Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi.
The private company tasked to build the power station and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal has drilled holes at the site over the past 10 days, the minister said.
The holes form part of the tests necessary to start work on the foundations.
“It is also my understanding that the designs are now complete and the vessel [which will be used to store LNG] is being developed,” he said, when asked about the apparently non-existent works at Delimara.
The power station and other infrastructure to handle LNG have to be ready by March, prompting many to question whether this is possible given that no visible work can be seen just eight months before the deadline.
But asked yesterday after addressing a press conference with European Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger on the fringes of an energy conference in Malta, Dr Mizzi said work should pick up over the summer.
“I am pleased to see Socar [an Azerbaijani company part of the consortium that will develop the plant] here at the conference mentioning the Malta project.
“We are keen to see it through as planned,” he said.
The storage ship, an LNG carrier that will be permanently moored alongside a jetty still to be built, is expected to undergo adjustments to fulfil the project’s objectives.
The power station project will see the island use natural gas for the first time and comes at a time when the EU is seeking to diversify the provenance of gas supplies to the continent.
Ministers from 30 EU, north African and east Mediterranean countries were in Malta for the two-day conference co-hosted by Malta and Cyprus on gas supplies from the Mediterranean.
Ministers agreed in principle to establish a Euro-Mediterranean platform on gas that would bring together policy makers, industry representatives and regulators.
This platform will assist in the development of Euro-Mediterranean relations on gas issues with the aim of ensuring greater convergence between policies of the various countries and make provisions for investment in pipelines, LNG terminals and other infrastructure.
Mr Oettinger said Malta had the perfect geo-strategic location to act as a broker between the Mediterranean’s northern and southern shores.
Europe wanted to diversify its gas sources and suppliers, he added, since only a third of gas used in the EU was sourced in member states.
Mr Oettinger said this internal supply will be exhausted over the next 20 years.
“It is in our interest to diversify supply, sources, partners and routes and that is why the southern corridor is an important part of our strategy,” Mr Oettinger said.
Libya is also expected to be part of the platform despite the turmoil in the country.
Asked whether it was plausible for Europe to expect to start importing gas from Libya, Dr Mizzi said the north Africa route did not include only Libya.
“Algeria, from where Europe already imports gas, and Morocco also form part of the plans. But although governments in Libya have changed, the people at the National Oil Company have remained consistent and we continue to speak to them,” he said.
The Mediterranean cooperation on gas supplies was welcomed by Opposition energy spokesman George Pullicino.
He said the conference reaffirmed Malta’s strategic location that had prompted the previous government to study the viability of a gas pipeline connection with the European grid and the development of an offshore gas hub.
He expressed regret that the study to have an offshore LNG terminal connected to the European grid was abandoned by the current administration, which opted for a storage facility inside Marsaxlokk bay.