The Cabinet has approved an energy policy which looks at the major decisions that need to be taken on how to secure affordable, sustainable energy.

The document broadly deals with the areas of affordable and efficient energy

The document will be launched publicly within the next few days, The Times has learnt.

It will stick to the Government’s National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP), which was drawn up in line with EU requirements.

However, it also explores different scenarios, identifying 2014 and 2018 as important years for decisions to be taken.

Most of the important decisions ahead of the country – such as whether to have a gas pipeline linking Malta to the continent, on a possible second interconnector and whether to invest in an offshore wind farm – have been discussed in one way or another but will be treated in more detail in the policy.

The document broadly deals with the areas of affordable and efficient energy, security of supply, diversification of sources and sustainable, clean energy.

Although the lion’s share of the policy deals with electricity generation, which is set to be one of the main issues of the forthcoming election, it also deals with the energy needs of sea and land transport, on which Malta has very stringent international and EU Climate Change commitments.

Besides the NREAP, the Government already has a number of action plans and policies, which will fall under the framework.

The lack of a single policy has come under fire from Labour, which argued that elements of the different policies were even contradictory.