Contrary to the allegation made by Michael Falzon (The Sunday Times, May 17), Enemalta Corporation has placed the protection of the environment as central to its priorities and has required from all bidders for Phase 2 of the Delimara powr station full compliance with EU and international emissions and environmental standards.
The local legislation, which is a transposition of the EU Large Combustion Plant Directive, was incorrectly transposed and the amendment (LN2/08) was enacted simply to correct this error, and only after consultations were held by Mepa with the EU Commission, which confirmed this course of action. As originally transposed, Malta would have been the only country in the world where the use of diesel engines was prohibited.
All bidders were informed of this change in the legislation and were given an extension of time to complete the preparation of their bids. Bids were submitted after the change in the law, so there was no shifting of goalposts at any time.
The evaluation criteria were based on the full lifetime costs of operating and maintaining the plant, including the cost of all necessary consumables and chemicals and the disposal of all wastes generated.
Mr Falzon claims that this technology is outdated, and no longer in vogue for new plants. He is misinformed, EdF in France has recently ordered 48 similar diesel engines to be used on its islands, including Corsica, and Cyprus is installing six similar-sized diesel engines at its Vassilikos power station. The emissions abatement equipment (not filters) are state-of-the-art as would be expected for a plant designed to use 'best available technology', and the technology used has been evaluated by expert consultants, who have confirmed their suitability.
The diesel engines selected are capable of being converted to operate on natural gas, which was a mandatory requirement of the tender, and even with the cost of this conversion, the operating cost is lower than that of the other plants which bid.
Mr Falzon then exaggerates the amount of land required for this plant. It is true that it is larger than the alternative proposed (by some 900 square metres), but there is ample space for another similar-sized plant on the existing site. Furthermore, the cost of the land was also taken into account in the evaluation process.
Enemalta has taken all steps to ensure that the selected bid will result in the least cost to the consumer. In fact, the plant selected has total operating costs including repayment of capital, which are three-quarters of the operating cost of the non-diesel engine alternative.
The plant will be subject to an operating permit issued by Mepa and subject to regular inspections.
Mr Falzon should ask himself one question: why did Bateman not appeal?