Angry business owners in parts of Valletta branded Enemalta “a disgrace” yesterday after a power cut hit their takings and forced some to close.
Behind a sign announcing Si Mangia restaurant’s closure for the day, managing chef Charles Grech was giving bottles of water to a handful of disappointed customers in the gloom of what would normally be a bustling dining area.
“I’m angry. I have had customers arriving in Valletta especially to eat here and I can’t give them anything but water,” he said.
Buildings in the upper part of Old Bakery Street and Strait Street lost power at about 10 p.m. on Thursday due to a burnt transformer.
Enemalta issued a statement yesterday saying the transformer would have to be replaced in a “lengthy procedure”. It expected the situation to be normalised by noon yesterday but power was not restored until 2.15 p.m.
Mr Grech was forced to hire a generator at 6.30 a.m. yesterday to keep the restaurant’s fridges and freezers running. He said he would be seeking compensation from Enemalta for loss of revenue and reputation.
Around the corner on Old Bakery Street, Guy Galea stood dejectedly in his darkened hair salon with two employees. Friday is normally the salon’s busiest day but by 1.30 p.m. only two customers had received haircuts.
“We’ve cancelled and postponed dozens of appointments. Everything in the salon is powered by electricity; even the water is pumped so we have no water,” he said.
Across the road, Owen Bonnici from Zoo told of his alarm when he arrived to open City Theatre for a children’s summer school and found power had still not been restored from the night before.
“We had 100 kids aged four to 12 to take care of,” he explained.
Mr Bonnici called Enemalta customer care several times and they kept saying power would be restored soon.
“They are a disgrace,” he said.
The Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU said in the afternoon that business communities in various localities suffered from power outages practically every day.
“Using high temperatures as an excuse is simply not acceptable. It’s a question of professional management,” the GRTU said.
It is expressed hope that under the new collective redress law, the courts would now address the issue of compensation.