Enemalta’s plan for electricity generation will effectively sideline the interconnector with Sicily once the new gas power station becomes operational.

This emerges from studies that form part of the application for an environmental permit (IPPC)to convert the BWSC plant in Delimara to gas. The studies were released by the Environmental and Resources Authority as part of the public consultation process on the project.

The consultation process covers the new gas power station being built by Electrogas, the liquefied natural gas terminal that includes the floating storage facility, also operated by Electrogas, and the conversion of the BWSC plant to gas.

The IPPC is an operational permit that determines how the installations will be run. Without it they will not be able to operate.

The use of natural gas is expected to cut CO2 emissions by 28 per cent from current levels

Part of the energy plan involves the conversion of the BWSC plant, now operated by D3 Power Generation, whose majority shareholder is Shanghai Electric Power, to be able to run on natural gas rather than heavy fuel oil.

According to the studies, four of the eight engines making up the BWSC plant will run only on natural gas and the other four will have the option to shift to diesel from gas in emergency situations.

The studies indicate that an average of three of these engines will be continuously running during the operational stage of the facility. This may change depending on demand.

The BWSC conversion document, which is more than 800 pages long, makes it clear that Enemalta is responsible for the dispatching order – the right to choose from which producers it buys electricity.

However, it also states: “The plan is to have D4, the Electrogas plant, offering the base-load supply while using the D3 (BWSC) for peaking at times of high demand. Until D4 is in operation, D3 and the Malta-Sicily interconnector will be used as base-load power station.”

It remains unclear to what extent the interconnector will be used under the new energy set-up and whether Enemalta will be giving up any cost savings it could make by purchasing electricity from Sicily.

The studies show that shifting BWSC to gas will cut sulphur dioxide (SOx) emission levels by 12 times than current operations while nitrogen oxide (NOx) levels will be halved. Particulate matter (PM) – the dust emitted from chimneys – will also be cut by a third.

With gas being a much cleaner fuel than heavy fuel oil, the emission filtering system now in use to clean the exhaust from sulphur will be bypassed since SOx and PM emissions from burning natural gas are significantly lower.

The quantities and types of waste products generated as a result of gas being used are also expected to change and reduce significantly.

According to the studies, the proposed changes would result in a considerable decrease in solid waste that is considered to be hazardous for disposal. A significant figure to contend with is flyash, the fine hazardous dust produced by burning oil. In 2014, the BWSC plant generated almost 4,000 tonnes of flyash and, with the proposed changes, this will drop to zero.

The use of natural gas is expected to cut CO2 emissions by 28 per cent from current levels.

One of the recommendations included in the studies is for site-wide controls on ignition sources such as smoking and use of electronic devices like mobile phones.

What are the studies?

The 800-page study quoted here refers to the conversion of the BWSC plant to gas. But this is just one of several documents, running into thousands of pages, as part of the operational permit application for the gas power project.

Other documents relate to studies for the new gas power station and the LNG terminal.

The Times of Malta has been trawling through the reams of paper since the documents were made public last Wednesday.

What is BWSC?

This is the newest plant in use at Delimara. It was commissioned in 2012 and operates with eight diesel engines that were modified to work with heavy fuel oil.

Each engine gives an output of 17.1MW.

Four of these engines are being converted to run only on natural gas and another four will use gas or diesel.

The current efficiency rating of the engines stands at 44.35 per cent. This is expected to improve to 45.93 per cent for the single fuel engines and 45.43 per cent for the dual fuel engines.

When operated on diesel, efficiency will drop to 43.92 per cent.

In 2014, the BWSC plant was hived off from Enemalta to a new company, D3 Power Generation.

Chinese firm Shanghai Electric Power acquired a 90 per cent stake in D3 for €150 million while Enemalta retained 10 per cent shareholding.

Shanghai had to spend €70 million for the gas conversion process.

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