Malta is one of the problematic EU member states in terms of reaching its 2020 targets of renewable energy, according to the European Commission.
While the EU as a whole has set itself a target of producing 20 per cent of all its energy consumed in 2020 from renewables, Malta’s has been set at 10 per cent. The Commission is sceptical of Malta reaching this lower target.
In a new report assessing the progress made so far by member states, the Commission put Malta in the category of countries not expected to make it by 2020.
Stating that, on the whole, the EU was expected to attain its targets, Brussels noted that “some member states, including France, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and the UK, and, to a lesser extent, Belgium and Spain, need to assess whether their policies and tools are sufficient and effective in meeting the renewable energy objectives”.
The Commission put Malta in the category of countries not expected to make it by 2020
Malta has already been warned when it failed to meet its interim targets for 2011 and 2012. According to the Commission, so far Malta is producing just 3.8 per cent of all its energy consumption through renewables. Under the previous government, Malta had planned to build three wind farms, one of them offshore, to be able to reach the targets by 2020. However, Labour scrapped the plans with the government shifting its aim from wind to solar energy.
According to the new plan, announced last December by Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi, Malta needs 2.7 square kilometres of solar farms to produce five per cent of its 2020 targets.
The balance would come from a mix of energy produced from biogas, waste and PV panels on top of residential and commercial roofs. The government is insisting that the targets are achievable under the new plans.
Malta will face fines if it fails to meet its targets in 2020. The EU report shows that, in general, the EU is on track to meet its 20 per cent renewable energy target.
With a projected share of 15.3 per cent of renewable energy in 2014 in the gross final consumption, the EU and the vast majority of member states are advancing well, the reports says.
So far, Sweden and Finland are the most advanced EU member states when it comes to renewable energy.