Hundreds of thousands of euros invested in assessing the viability of wind farms may have literally gone with the wind as the government seems increasingly reluctant to pursue the plan.

Since last month, Times of Malta has been chasing answers to questions sent to the Energy Ministry on how Malta intends to achieve its interim targets on renewable energy following the surprising announcement by Minister Konrad Mizzi that it is on track.

The final decision will be taken once studies are concluded

Malta’s performance on renewal energy so far has been abysmal. With only 1.4 per cent coming from renewable sources, the island remains firmly stuck at the bottom of the EU list for investment in renewable energy.

The Energy Ministry said: “Malta will reach the projected RES [renewable energy sources] share for 2014 by using PV [photovoltaics], solar thermal and biofuels.”

When pressed for the reason why wind energy no longer featured in plans, the ministry said that “the final decision on these wind farms will be taken once technical, environmental and feasibility studies are concluded”.

Consultants involved in the studies confirmed they were submitted to the planning authority more than a year ago but the process has not yet been concluded.

In 2011, researchers requested a two-year extension to the L-Aħrax Point wind mast permit to confirm results on the viability of an offshore wind farm at Mellieħa’s Sikka l-Bajda, which could provide electricity for some 40,000 households, or about 10 per cent of what Enemalta produces annually.

Tonio Sant, director of the University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, which was overseeing the collection and analysis of the data, had said the required studies would reaffirm what had already been established, that the 11-square-kilometre Sikka l-Bajda was a good location for an offshore wind farm. When Times of Malta contacted Prof. Sant last week to learn more about the data he simply referred the newspaper to the Energy Ministry.

Wind studies at L-Aħrax Point began in November 2009 after an 80-metre high wind mast was installed. The plan was to have from 19 to 24 wind turbines, each with a diameter of between 100 and 126 metres, at Sikka l-Bajda. These studies cost at least €300,000, according to information that had been released by the previous administration. Questions sent to the Energy Ministry on the total amount spent on all studies remained unanswered despite reminders.

The studies conducted include the impact of the wind farm on birds and bats and on the marine ecology; the visual and noise impact; the impact of the rotating shadow of the turbines; the impact on the quality of the marine environment, including any possible pollution; the possibility of archaeological remains; the impact on air traffic; the effect on communications, including mobile coverage; and the impact on fishing and aquaculture.

Speaking to One Radio in 2011, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had questioned the previous administration’s choice of wind energy over solar farms, saying the choice was “another failure”. The country’s increased focus on solar energy follows an agreement Malta signed with China’s Shanghai Electric to develop and build renewable energy infrastructure in Europe, a move that is also beneficial to China’s debt-ridden solar energy industry.

The energy agreement with China and its promise to facilitate the penetration of its renewable energy industry in Europe and North Africa has become increasingly significant as Standard & Poor’s have announced in a report that Chinese companies have racked up $14.2 trillion in debt, more than any other country on the planet.

The fact that China’s solar industry is one of the worst hit has regularly topped international financial headlines. Rising demand for solar panels is important to counter a global oversupply that erased profits across the industry and bankrupted more than a dozen companies.