The Delimara power station could receive its first LNG cargo by mid-January if granted an environmental permit on Monday, according to operators Electrogas.
The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) will decide in a public meeting on Monday whether to grant an Integrated Prevention and Pollution Control (IIPC) permit for the new gas-fired power station.
The permit application covers the power station being built by Electrogas, the LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal that includes the floating storage facility, also operated by Electrogas, and the conversion of the BWSC plant to gas.
Asked by the Times of Malta yesterday when the power station would begin operations if the permit were granted, project manager Catherine Halpin said: “Electrogas Malta is currently awaiting the IPPC process to take its due course.
“Electrogas Malta is confident that it has satisfied all the necessary requirements and should the IPPC permit be granted we will immediately make the necessary arrangements to deliver the commissioning cargo which is anticipated to take no longer than three to four weeks from the date of confirmation.”
A follow-up question on when the plant would be fully commissioned remained unanswered at the time of going to print.
The new power station was originally slated for completion by March 2015, following a two-year timeframe pledged by the Labour Party in the run-up to the last general election.
Then energy minister Konrad Mizzi acknowledged in December 2014 that there would be a delay with the project, setting a new deadline of June 2016, which was also missed.
A third deadline set by Dr Mizzi – “the end of summer” this year – has similarly come and gone.
The decision expected by the ERA on Monday follows a 40-day public consultation process, involving more than 15,000 pages of technical reports made available for public scrutiny.
Electrogas is confident it has satisfied all the necessary requirements
The IPPC permit assesses the overall environmental performance of the plant, including emissions into the air, water and land, generation of waste, use of raw materials, energy efficiency, noise, prevention of accidents and risk management.
Several concerns were raised during the public consultation process over the safety of the LNG floating storage unit, particularly during storms and refuelling operations. During a public meeting last month, Electrogas confirmed the tanker would be moved away from the quay during storms and anchored further offshore.
Eight anchors weighing up to 35 tonnes each will be used to secure the tanker. Restrictions on vessel movements will be put in place during refuelling, which will take place every six to eight weeks over two 24-hour periods, and a safety exclusion zone introduced during regular operations.
The Nationalist Party has insisted the new power station is unnecessary, arguing that Malta’s electricity needs could be catered for by existing sources, coupled with an increase in PV panel electricity generation.