Joseph Muscat said the film industry grew by 650 per cent over the past two years as he gave a hint of another major film production that will be shot in Malta.

But the Prime Minister did not elaborate when addressing Labour Party supporters in Senglea yesterday as part of the local elections campaign.

Dr Muscat focused the main part of his short speech on the energy sector, even ridiculing the Opposition leader’s stand on the matter.

He said at last week’s European Council meeting, member states were arguing in favour of reaching energy arrangements with countries like China and Azerbaijan.

“I could have phoned Simon Busuttil to tell him that they were arguing exactly the opposite of what he is arguing in Malta,” Dr Muscat joked.

He said the most important project in the south was the closure of the Marsa power station.

The interconnector cable was expected to start delivering electricity in the next three weeks, he said, but insisted it would have been a mistake to have sole dependence on it.

The previous administration’s route plans had to be changed because the interconnector was going to pass through an active oil exploration zone, he added.

“We found the interconnector cable way behind schedule but with hard work we managed to get it going.”

The Prime Minister urged supporters to go out and vote for Labour candidates in the local elections on April 11.

“These are elections that are normally won by opposition parties but we want to break this pattern,” he said.

At the start of the meeting Dr Muscat asked his audience to remain standing for a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims of the Germanwings air crash in France.