Maltese households were paying 66 per cent lower than the EU average for their electricity, the government said this morning, citing the latest Eurostat figures.

The statistics show that in the second half of 2015, electricity was costing European consumers 2.4 per cent higher than the previous year. The price of electricity had increased from €20.6 to €21.1 for every 100 kilowatt.

In contrast, Maltese households were paying €12.7 for every 100 kilowatt of energy.

This means Maltese households were paying the fourth lowest rate for electricity in the EU.

At the end of the previous administration, electricity was costing €16.8 for every 100 kilowatt, or 26 per cent than the current rate, the government said. At the time, electricity prices in Malta were the 15th most expensive in the EU.

In the last five years of a PN administration, electricity prices increased by 68 per cent. In contrast, the Labour administration reduced prices by 25 per cent when the prices across the EU increased by seven per cent.

"The contrast in the energy sector between the two administrations was leaving a strong impact on the economy to the extent that the rate of growth last year was the second highest in the EU," the government said.