The Delimara power station did not have any filters or monitors to check what emissions were thrown into the air, Labour MP George Vella said during the debate on the motion on the Enemalta estimates. The main problem was the release of toxins in the atmosphere, with no one knowing whether the chimneys were emitting dioxins.

The government was taking decisions affecting people's health without consultation and consideration and people living in the south were subjected to arbitrary and authoritarian decisions.

He did not want to cause alarm, but there was the fear that the power station was causing health problems in the area.

As a general practitioner he knew that serious illnesses were cropping up. Despite demands for the government to publish figures on the incidence of cancer in the areas over the last 20 years, no reply had been given; yet there was a cancer register and comparisons could be made with other areas.

To make matters worse, a government expert had said that the Delimara power station did not need any filters, even if no data was available. This was irresponsible, he said.

The Enemalta report made no mention of the pollution that the Delimara power station was producing. No mention was made on what action Enemalta had taken to safeguard the environment.

The bay next to Delimara, known as Il-Ħofra ż-Żgħira, had become an environmental disaster with caustic soda thrown into the sea after cleaning of the power station's boilers. How could the government talk about EU directives on the quality of coastal waters and then nobody was telling it to put its house in order?

Dr Vella said the government was exacerbating the situation with its intention to extend the power station through the use of oil instead of gas and the setting up of an incinerator in the same area. The government had termed this new power station as an extension of the existing one to avoid conforming to the EU norms that new power stations had to abide by. He asked whether an environment impact assessment had been commissioned before Mepa's approval of the project.

With regard to the incinerator, a government report said that one had to consider possible synergy with the Delimara power station in choosing the potential site. The report also mentioned upgrading works in the power station for increased output and the consideration of the possible use of tunnels under construction between Marsa, Marsascala and Marsaxlokk for the transport of waste which could be incinerated.

The Enemalta report made no reference to this.

Labour spokesman for the self-employed Gavin Gulia complained that the self-employed were among the hardest hit with the electricity cuts during the day. Many had closed their doors early, losing business when they were facing hard times with extra expense for utility bills and bureaucracy costs.

He referred to the blogs on timesofmalta.com and quoted various bloggers who had complained about the electricity cuts. One blogger had said that Enemalta was investigating the second cuts when no explanation had been given for the first instance. Another had commented that these cuts were giving the impression that Malta was a third-world country. Yet another had said that as a taxpaying citizen he had the right to demand that whoever was responsible had to be removed immediately.

The government was insensitive on utility bills with respect to the self-employed. The consumer was being hit hard with astronomical bills. More so for the self-employed, hit for bills for household and workplace.

Labour MP Leo Brincat referred to an Enemalta advert on cleaner energy, which compared CO2 emissions from the Marsa and Delimara power stations. This, he said, was an insult to the intelligence of readers because it did not mention anything about proposed alternative sources.

The corporation, which had not even said what the emission targets of the new plant would be, should have invested in more efficient power stations and have a contingency plan to be in a position to sell CO2 credits, thus exploiting the economic potential.

A Mepa greenhouse emissions report, with specific reference to the new plant, contemplated that by 2014 there would be another plant and a generating plant of 220 MW.

The Prime Minister had said that once the needs of the new plant had been identified an environmental impact assessment would be drawn up. Mr Brincat said that the contract had been signed and no EIA had as yet been done.

The government was also shying away from answering a parliamentary question by Mr Brincat to give cancer cases by locality.

The government had not said anything about the 20,000 hours of operational life of the power station, which had started on January 1, 2008. When would this period end?

While it was urgent to shut down the Marsa power station, Mr Brincat asked what would be the environmental impact of having all electricity-producing plants, and an incinerator thrown in for good measure, housed at Delimara. Former Nationalist energy minister Michael Falzon was also critical of the new plant's environmental-damaging aspects. He accused the government that its right hand did not know what its left was doing. Similarly, Prof. Edward Mallia said that the government could not be trusted on the environment.

Mr Brincat said the people had every right to be worried because CO2 emission would increase by 37 per cent. What would be the impact on the health of the corporation's employees? Both the GWU and the UĦM had already voiced concern.

He said that he had a feeling that some elements in the corporation could have favoured one bidder against another with the result that Malta had now been burdened by a costlier system which polluted more.

Concluding, Mr Brincat said that the 77 promises in the PN electoral manifesto were only hot air, and called on Enemalta to withdraw the advert. Two other labour candidates also criticised the government and the corporation: Charles Mangion accused Enemalta of forgetting its public service obligations to safeguard the common good and the environment, while Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said that the government was more interested in taxing the people rather than tackle the problems which were pulling the corporation down.