The cost for the lower electricity tariffs was an increase in Enemalta’s debts, Tonio Fenech, a former minister responsible for the corporation said.

Speaking in Parliament during the presentation of the corporation’s estimates, Mr Fenech said that the corporation's debts were increasing and one of the reasons was the lowering of electricity rates. He denied the government’s claims that the previous government had left the corporation bankrupt.

What the previous administration had done, he said, was to structure its unstructured debts so that these would eventually be paid.

Mr Fenech noted that the corporation was not passing on to the government what it collected from excise on petrol and diesel. It was keeping this money to pay its bills and finance the lower rates.

Enemalta’s growing debt could also be seen from figures published by the government. The corporation owed the government €135 million and this prejudiced the government position that it had reached deficit aims in line with its obligations to the EU.

Mr Fenech mentioned the LNG tanker contract which the government was refusing to publish and said this was because this contract was conditioned.

He noted that the corporation’s administrate expenses for this year were going up from €13 million to €17 million.

How much does the new management need to operate this identity, he asked adding that while it seemed the government found enough money for management, the same could not be said for workers, whose shifts and shift allowances were not being guaranteed.