One of the main issues which the Nationalist Party addressed during the past week in preparation for the Independence Day Celebrations was the environment. Amongst the themes raised and tackled by the Prime Minister, Dr Lawrence Gonzi, on this issue was that of the use of alternative energy. In a nutshell Dr Gonzi said that his Government would be prioritising the use of alternative energy sources

This is very welcome news.

However, it must be said that, sadly, this is yet another area where Dr Gonzi has had to start from scratch and do what previous PN Governments failed to deliver.

The use of alternative energy was in fact one of the innovative proposals which the PN had made in its electoral manifesto for the 1987 election. In fact in Section III (20) under the sub-title Public utilities will serve you the PN had promised 21 years ago that, “We look for alternative energy”. The PN promised not only to invest in research on the use and application of solar, wind and wave energy but also to encourage their use through fiscal incentives.

Ironically, the PN in government only got as far as building the new power station in Delimara and did not do much, if anything tangible, at all on the use of alternative energy sources. As a matter of fact, in its 1998 electoral manifesto the PN once more promised fiscal incentives for those who converted their homes to the use of solar energy and transferred the extra energy thus generated to the Enemalta grid. (Point 172, p. 23).

While the PN in government has gone some way towards this goal with some incentives for those who use solar water heaters it is a generally accepted fact that this has come nowhere near enough what is needed in order to make Malta and Gozo more eco-friendly.

So yes, the Prime Minister’s pronouncements this week about prioritizing the use of alternative sources of energy are very welcome indeed. I am use that, in an ever more eco-conscious society, they will be supported by everyone. I am also sure that everyone will be hoping that Dr Gonzi will devote a lot of time, energy and attention to achieving this goal in the shortest time possible because we are, as a country already rather late in the take up of alternative energy sources. I am also sure, however, that everybody also agrees that in this case it is also better late than never.