Enemalta accepted a consignment of LPG without mercaptan mixed in for fear of creating a gas shortage in the local market until a new consignment arrived, the parliamentary committee investigating the 2009 burning of the chemical heard yesterday.
Engineer Philip Schembri, chairman of the board of inquiry that had looked into the destruction of the hazardous substance mercaptan in an open field outside Mġarr, said Enemalta did not formally object to the consignment of LPG without this chemical. Correspondence also showed that no legal action had been taken.
Mr Schembri was replying to questions by opposition spokesman on energy and resources Joe Mizzi.
On Tuesday, the corporation’s Chief Financial Officer Antoine Galea had testified that the supplier abroad had sent gas without mercaptan mixed in, against the terms of the tender. Enemalta could have challenged this in court but decided to accept the imposition.
House Public Accounts Committee chairman Charles Mangion yesterday said that when one analysed the inquiry report, Enemalta did not seem to have given any justification for its acceptance of the consignment.
Board of inquiry member Leonard Caruana said that later consignments under this tender were imported with mercaptan added to the LPG abroad. The board had been informed that Enemalta had a problem with the continuity of supply. They had been given the impression by Enemalta that there was the risk that the gas supply in Malta might not last until a new consignment was imported.
The committee meeting had to be adjourned barely an hour after it started for lack of quorum as Finance and Investment Minister Tonio Fenech, whose portfolio includes Enemalta, had to leave. He asked the committee to be excused as the Prime Minister had asked him to attend the PN’s executive meeting held last night.
Earlier, Eng. Schembri said the board had not seen the three quotations for the supply of LPG already dosed with mercaptan. They had only seen the correspondence sent by the three contractors.
Mr Mizzi said that if Enemalta had taken action when the first leak of mercaptan in its containers had been noticed, the emergency situation that led to the destruction of the chemical would have been avoided. One such incident took place in 2007, two years before the chemical was destroyed.
Mr Galea said that the corporation’s Chief Executive Officer at the time, was totally involved in the issue together with the head of the gas division, engineer Mario Magri, the head of the fuel division, Philip Borg, and the chief financial officer at the time. He added that when the issue started to escalate both Mr Magri and Mr Borg sought advice from the former chief financial officer.
The meeting stands adjourned sine die.