Friends of the Earth Malta said it was positive that the government was finally taking the initiative on the renewable energy front by allocating money to develop an array of wind turbines to supply around four percent of the country’s energy requirements.

This was a positive step forward, which should lead to a drop in the country’s dependence on fossil fuels in the longer term. This would benefit the environment, social commitments and Malta’s sovereignty as a nation.

The organisation also urged caution about the site selection process. It said it believed all major projects should undergo a serious Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process.

FoE said other sites, both offshore and onshore, should be assessed along with Sikka il-Bajda so that if the EIA ruled against Sikka l-Bajda, there would be backup sites.