Oliver Mallia (January 31) came out with the idea that we can generate electricity from water by making use of the quarries and turning them into reservoirs from which water will flow towards the sea and then utilise the flow to turn turbines. I had mooted the idea some years back to a person sitting on the Energy Committee. He said he did not know anything about the area.

My idea is to utilise the Ta’ Żuta quarry, which lies some 248 metres above sea level. The sea is very near so you have an almost perpendicular flow. This can be done by digging a chute towards the sea under the cliffs.

The materials excavated would be used to build the wall on the open side to make it hold water. The site is high and the fall sharp enough to utilise the flow twice. All the space where the turbines will be installed would be underground. We would have two power houses run by the same water. The environment would remain untouched.

Water can be drawn up through boreholes in the area, which is quite near the sea.

As for initial energy, one could instal a small wind farm. The site is always slightly windy even in the calmest days because of its altitude and the conventional currents always present.

One could also consider covering the quarry with solar panels if these prove to be cheaper. In five years’ time, the future solar panels will be cheaply made of rust and will provide electricity 24/7. This, of course, if we care to wait.