Enemalta has requested a meeting with the energy regulator to discuss the principles on which it will be basing its revision of the water and electricity rates.

In a letter to Malta Resources Authority chairman Carmel Ellul, Enemalta CEO Karl Camilleri requested a "clear" indication in writing of the principles the regulator was expecting the corporation to adopt.

"The sooner the meeting is held, the sooner we will be able to conclude the internal exercise to develop our proposal (for the new rates)," Mr Camilleri wrote.

He also listed the set of principles Enemalta was adopting to calculate the new rates. Among them were a "full recovery of all budgeted costs" incurred by Enemalta.

Mr Camilleri said the costs would cover the projected impact on the budget of the price of oil in any one financial year.

Mr Camilleri said organisational inefficiencies would not be recoverable from the rates and that the 2005 report by the Management Efficiency Unit would be used as a basis to determine inefficiencies.

"Latest audited accounts will be used for verifying and extrapolating cost data," Mr Camilleri said, without identifying which are the latest accounts.

Enemalta has not published audited accounts since 2005.

Other principles adopted by the corporation are that it will not expect any subsidy from the government and that consumers should pay for whatever electricity they consume.