Upset that the government has yet to compensate Marsaxlokk for hosting all power plants in its backyard, Labour mayor Edric Micallef did not attend the switching-off ceremony of the Marsa power station.

Mr Micallef, who will not contest the April 11 councils election, however, denied speculation he had broken ranks with the party. In fact, his intention is to run for the next general election on the Labour ticket.

“As Marsaxlokk mayor I would have felt out of place celebrating the fact that all power stations would now be in our village,” Mr Micallef said.

A new gas-fired plant, adjacent to the existing facility, is to be built. Though this will pave the way for the conversion to a cleaner form of fuel, it will necessitate a permanently-moored gas tanker to supply both plants with LNG.

Mr Micallef noted that, at a Cabinet meeting held in Marsaxlokk in July 2013, compensation in the form of a regeneration plan had been promised.

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