Enemalta is looking into claims for compensation filed by consumers whose household appliances were damaged by a power surge in Cospicua on Monday night caused by thieves who broke into a substation and stole 10 metres of cable.
Damage was registered in a number of households in San Ġwann t'Għuxa, affecting fridges, air conditioners, computers,modems and other electrical appliances.
In one case, an entire bedroom was engulfed in flames after a TV set blew up.
Although the damage was caused by sabotage and Enemalta was not directly to blame, a spokesman said yesterday the option of compensation was "not being excluded".
"The policy is to give compensation when it is our fault but we have decided to look into the claims anyway," the spokesman added.
When contacted, the Ombudsman - whose office recently came down hard on Enemalta's attitude towards compensation - said claims must be granted on the premise that Enemalta was "directly or indirectly responsible" for the cause that provoked the damage.
"General principles of law would apply in the case of sabotage or vandalism, which would seem to exclude responsibility unless Enemalta's liability can be otherwise determined. Each case has to be examined on its own merits."
As an example of how Enemalta could be indirectly responsible, a spokesman for the Ombudsman suggested the "unsafe" location of substations.
Enemalta sources confirmed there are no CCTV cameras at substations but pointed out that, with 1,300 facilities around the island, such surveillance would be quite costly for the taxpayer.
Asked why there were no CCTV cameras, Enemalta said it was "not prudent or wise" for the corporation to discuss or divulge the security plans or how it monitored its substations.
Enemalta described attempts to steal live electrical cables from substations as "extremely dangerous and callous" activities.
This was the second such act in as many months.
Last July, two young men suffered serious injuries while attempting to cut a live cable in the substation in Corradino, Paola. They caused an explosion which threw one of them out of the room and they ended up in intensive care.
Engineers said appliances could be protected from power surges through "surge suppressors" or by ensuring that appliances not being used are not plugged into electrical sockets.
Surge suppressors, or protectors, exist in the form of extensions which, during a voltage surge or spike, divert extra electricity into the grounding wire.However, such protection does not work in all cases because if the surge is too high it could still damage appliances.
Meanwhile, the police yesterday confirmed they were questioning a number of suspects in connection with the case.