The Chamber of Engineers held its 23rd annual conference at Smart City Malta, supported by Bank of Valletta, focusing on the challenges and opportunities in the energy and transport sectors.
Chamber of Engineers president Norman Zammit said that sustainable development policy, the government and private sector should work together to provide smart travelling.
This is reflected in the need to provide efficient, modern travel that is also socially and environmentally aware.
He explained that the strategy should seek to not only establish good highway engineering and access designs to the island but also to demonstrate state-of-the-art, sustainable travel opportunities.
This means effective management of access and mobility that provides road users with a choice of access modes, infrastructure that makes access hassle free and resulting environment that is pleasant to live and work in.
Mr Zammit remarked on past proposals for the installation of a gas pipeline between Malta and Sicily. Sicily has a large number of gas reserves which can be exploited and this would allow Malta to shift from heavy fuel oil. He noted with satisfaction that the gas pipeline initiative is once again under way.
He said that a shift to natural gas should not be the only solution to our energy problems. Malta has focused primarily on photovoltaics, since the wind farm option was shelved due to its environmental impact. He suggested that the country needed to look further into the exploitation of its surrounding seas through the use of surface wave generators and undersea water turbines that use seawater currents.
The conference was also addressed by Transport Minister Joe Mizzi, who called upon the ingenuity of engineers to spearhead change for the benefit of society and the economy. The minister emphasised that the engineering community had a fundamental contribution to these sectors through expert advice, research and development initiatives, as well as the application of modern engineering solutions to classical problems.
Mark Scicluna Bartoli, who is responsible for EU and institutional affairs at BoV, said: “Over the years, Bank of Valletta has built a solid working relationship with the Chamber. Together, we seek to promote increased investment in alternative energy generation solutions with the objective of diversifying Malta’s energy mix. Our support consolidates the bank’s commitment to remain an active partner.”
Other topics discussed included developments in the field of driverless vehicles and intelligent transport systems.
From an energy perspective, attention was given to the Malta-Sicily interconnector, climate change and the evaluation of innovative technologies for energy production, as well as the deployment of an offshore PV system. Since 1978, the Chamber of Engineers has been an active and professional self-governing association fulfilling the mandate given to it by the Engineering Act to represent the local profession.
The Chamber’s ongoing relationship with European associations, universities, industry and the government helps increase awareness and understanding of the impact of engineering on society in general.