Malta remains one of the European Union countries most dependent on imported energy in all its forms including fuel, electricity and gas. The well-being of its society is directly linked to the government’s and, to a lesser extent, the private sector’s energy providers to guarantee a clean, reasonably priced and readily available energy services at all times.

The fact that electricity consumption has increased by 3.15 per cent in the first half of this year is good news as it indicates that economic activity is growing. But it also raises the question of whether Enemalta is indeed prepared to meet this increase in demand.

With the knowledge that the Marsa power station has surpassed its 20,000 hours of operations allowed by the European Union and the completion of the Delimara extension still some time away, there is no justification for any complacency.

If we ever needed tangible proof of the critical importance of a guaranteed and reliable electricity supply, this became all too clear earlier this year when Cyprus lost half of its electricity supply after an Iranian arms depot exploded next to the Vassilikou power station. Cyprus’s credit rating was downgraded by agencies to near junk status partly as a result of the economic effects of this incident.

The providers of energy services in Malta, especially Enemalta, which has a monopoly in the supply of fuel and electricity, must see to it that they have proper risk management processes in place to ensure that our vulnerability in the supply of energy products never becomes crippling. The risks to a guaranteed energy supply are not limited to dramatic operational issues like those that caused the Cyprus incident.

It is hard to understand, for instance, how, despite the EU concession granted to Malta in 2004 to allow the heavily polluting Marsa power plant to be phased out gradually, the state energy corporation is still not in position to say when the plant will actually be decommissioned.

The controversy that surrounded the extension of the Delimara power station should not be used as a pretext for the delays in completing the much-needed project. In every democracy the action of any government is scrutinised continuously by the opposition, the media and by public opinion. But this should never hamper the effective completion of projects that are crucial to guaranteeing reliable electricity supplies to the homes and businesses of a country.

Although the European Commission may start legal procedures against Malta for not adhering to the accession conditions on the Marsa power station, there seems to be little risk that this will in fact result in fines because such procedures could take longer than the end of 2012 to conclude, by which time Malta plans to have everything in place to close down the Marsa power station.

But this is not the most relevant element in the challenge facing the energy providers.

The country needs to move from managing the supply of its energy services on a plan-as-you-go basis. Such crucial functions as the supply of energy to homes and businesses for the next two decades need to be underpinned with robust strategic plans that detail the most important critical success factors that will reduce Malta’s vulnerability in the supply of such services.

Long-term strategic planning, effective management of energy-related projects and a steely political will to deliver these projects on time and within budget are the best way this country can meet its energy supply challenges.