The Nationalist Party yesterday emphasised it was not against the LNG-fired power station in Marsaxlokk but wanted things to be done professionally, focusing on the safety of residents and property.
Ann Fenech, president of the PN executive council, appealed to the Prime Minister to rethink the project and eliminate the risks of a large storage tanker berthed permanently next to the station.
Dr Fenech told a press conference that although expert opinion evidently varied on how much risk a tanker inside the port would pose, all agreed that a minimal risk existed and that this should be eliminated.
“Since no one is excluding the possibility of an accident, the most appropriate thing to do is to move the risk offshore,” she said.
Asked by Times of Malta what should be done until a gas pipeline with Sicily is available, Dr Fenech, a maritime law expert, said the government should at least consider replacing the tanker with a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) outside the bay.
“There are already examples around the world where an FSRU is used. The government should opt for this alternative to make sure that the risk for the people close to the power station is moved away.”
The most appropriate thing to do is to move the risk offshore
An FSRU is a tanker similar to the one being proposed by the government but with an inbuilt regasification unit. The gas would then be transferred to the power station through a pipeline. The technology is already used abroad and an FSRU can be placed up to 100 kilometres offshore.
The government’s chosen option involves an LNG tanker berthed permanently inside the port close to the power station. Liquefied gas will be pumped from the tanker to a regasification unit to be built on land next to the plant and used to fire the power-generating turbines.
“Yes, an FSRU will cost more. However, there is no doubt that the government should give safety top priority above any other considerations, whether political or commercial,” said Dr Fenech.
Nationalist MEP candidate Therese Comodini Cachia contradicted the Prime Minister’s statement earlier this week that placing the tanker inside the port is safer than offshore.
“How can the Prime Minister come to this conclusion if the necessary studies, including a maritime risk assessment, have not yet been done,” she asked.
Dr Comodini Cachia said more than 9,000 ship movements were registered every year inside Marsaxlokk Bay and so it was doubtful whether the risk of a collision was bigger outside the port than inside it.