■ The Environment and Resources Authority categorically denies giving statements that were attributed to it in the article ‘ERA confirms another delay with power plant’ (September 30) and reproduced online under the heading ‘Approval process of new power plant not yet started’.

The article alleges that the ERA confirmed a further delay in the completion of the new gas-fired power station in Delimara. It was also alleged that the approval process had not even started.

To the contrary, the IPPC process, which is the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control process under Industrial Emissions Regulations (LN 10 of 2013), was initiated in June 2014 and ERA clearly explained it is now approaching a final stage, that of a public consultation exercise, followed by a period of discussion with the operators on the permit conditions.

ERA’s remit is to ensure that the permitting process follows the required legal procedures and to ensure accountability and transparency of this decision-making process.

It reiterates that it never conveyed any delays in the completion of the project, which will convert HFO to gas in the generation of electricity.

This was merely a, hopefully, inadvertent and in­correct statement made by the newspaper.

Editorial comment: The Environment and Resources Authority may not have explicitly confirmed another delay in the completion of the new Delimara power station. However, it did confirm to this newspaper that “Launch of a public consultation is still to be scheduled”. The regulator will be deciding on the IPPC permit, which is necessary for the new power plant to operate, “following the conclusion of the public consultation” and “at a meeting held in public”. The new target date for the completion of the power plant, which has already been delayed three times, remains unknown.

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