Trenching and pipe-laying works through the Kappara junction for a major Enemalta project aimed to reinforce the electricity distribution network were completed on Monday night, the company said.

Employees and contractors worked throughout the night to excavate a trench across this busy thoroughfare and lay a number of pipes for electricity cables feeding electricity to the Manoel Island Distribution Centre.

The company was developing this new distribution centre and another one at St Andrew’s to achieve the necessary network flexibility and reliability to improve the quality of service to customers in nearby localities, including St Julian’s, Sliema, Gzira and Ta’ Xbiex.

The distribution centres will be commissioned in 2016. 

The two new distribution centres form part of a major project launched in 2014 to reinforce the national electricity grid.

The construction started in previous years, but due to a number of difficulties, they were not completed.

The company now allocated the necessary resources to complete these important electricity distribution nodes and carry out other network development works in other parts of Malta and Gozo.

Another two new distribution centres were being developed at Xewkija and Marsa, while a number of existing distribution centres, including those at Mellieha, Marsa and Santa Venera, were being upgraded with new equipment.

Enemalta was also in the process of laying several kilometres of high voltage cables between different nodes of the network, to have the necessary spare connections to provide a quicker response when natural faults disrupted electricity supply to its customers.

Most of these cables would be laid in the underground electricity distribution tunnels linking different parts of the network.

The company was also collaborating with the developers of a number of upcoming major construction projects, to implement the required network upgrades to provide the services needed by these new customers.