Enemalta plans to invest €80 million on the distribution network and another €200 million on a cable to link up with the Sicilian grid, Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt said today.

Speaking during a visit to Enemalta’s 132 kv distribution centre at Mosta, the second phase of which was recently completed, the minister said that €65 million were spent by Enemalta on the distribution network in the past five years.

Demand, the minister said, was on the increase and Enemalta needed to meet it.

He said that the aim was to close the Marsa power station by 2015, by which time another power generating turbine would have to be installed at Delimara.

He said SmartCity would mean an extra electricity demand of 20 megawatts which Enemalta could handle.

Enemalta Chairman Alex Tranter said new investment helped reduce the technical losses which resulted from the transfer of electricity from one place to another.

Mosta distribution centre distributes electricity to the North of Malta including Mosta, Naxxar, St Paul’s Bay, Mgarr, Mellieha and Gozo.

The first phase of the development was commissioned in 2003 and consisted of a 90 MVA link with Marsa South distribution centre, which is linked to Delimara power station.

As a result of the second phase, both distribution centres are now linked with two 132KV circuits with Delimara. The circuits run through a gallery between Mosta and Qormi, reducing the need for overhead cables.