A feasibility study on a proposed electricity link between Malta and Sicily should be concluded by the end of March, Enemalta said.

The corporation said senior technical delegates from the Italian electricity network operator Terna and Enemalta met recently to discuss "conclusive decisions" that will influence the feasibility study.

The study will cover technical, economic and regulatory issues that will influence how the operational framework will function and will pave the way for the link.

Enemalta chairman Alex Tranter said the implementation of this strategic electricity link with Sicily was of paramount importance to Malta's future energy supply.

"The link will offer new and alternative options of supply of electricity and will also be a significant contributor to Malta's climate change targets," he said.

The news follows reports in The Sunday Times that the government failed to meet recommendations by Enemalta to improve energy resources before last summer in order to reduce the risk of lengthy power cuts predicted in light of the increasingly high demand for energy.

Enemalta's Electricity Generating Plan 2006-2015 report warns that the outage of any plant from 2009 during the peak summer months will cause power cuts in a number of areas.