The Nationalist Party is welcoming Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s visit today, saying the interconnector he will inaugurate was a concrete example of the difference the PN can make.

The PN was the party that had the vision, acquired the funds and started the project’s implementation, while the Labour’s energy plan was still invisible, shadow energy minister Marthese Portelli told a press conference yesterday.

“The PN was, is and will remain optimistic. It was this optimism that gave birth to the plan for the interconnector,” she said. “In contrast, the only thing the government did was organise a party,” she added, referring to an event held to celebrate the closure of the Marsa Power Station.

She said the average price the government was paying for electricity from the interconnector was 6c, questioning why it had committed to paying 9.6c for electricity from Electrogas for a minimum of 18 years. A new power station was not needed, Dr Portelli said.

It was this optimism that gave birth to the plan. In contrast, the only thing [Labour] did was organise a party

She referred to the transfer of public land, at 50c per square metre, where PV panels will be installed, saying this was causing discrimination, as Maltese businesses had to pay 3.35c per square metre for the same service.

“The government’s commitments to the Chinese government have rendered Maltese entrepreneurs second class citizens,” she said.

The Energy Ministry reacted by saying the interconnector was an important component of the energy mix but the gas fired plant would provide a cheaper reliable supply at a fixed price.

The price quoted by the PN for interconnector supply did not take account of several other costs such as transmission losses and financing costs for infrastructure.

The ministry said the previous government had started work on the project, with a target date of 2012, but it was this government that carried out the majority of works necessary to complete it.