An inquiry into the quality of oil being used at one of the power stations is shrouded in secrecy, with the government repeatedly dodging questions over the probe launched nearly two-and-a-half years ago.
The investigation got under way in October 2013 after information was received casting doubts over the quality of oil sometimes used at one of the plants, which was not named.
A week before, it had been revealed in a parliamentary committee that the sulphur content of the fuel was at times too high, potentially leading to a higher level of toxic emissions.
Retired Judge Philip Sciberras was tasked to look into the matter by the Energy Ministry in consultation with the Prime Minister.
This statement was followed by two years of complete silence, until last September, when this newspaper sent questions to the Prime Minister’s Office.
A month later, in October, the issue was raised again, this time in a parliamentary question filed by Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi.
Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi had said that the inquiry would be finalised in the following weeks.
In a terse one-line reply, a government spokesman told the Times of Malta that the inquiry was “still under way”. However, questions sent to his ministry as recently as last month have remained unanswered. It has still to be confirmed if the inquiry has been concluded.
Back in October 2013, an Enemalta official had told Parliament that the company occasionally accepted oil consignments outside specifications, affecting emission levels.
Testifying before the Public Accounts Committee, Philip Borg, the manager of the then Enemalta Petroleum Division, had revealed that the power station’s fuel sulphur content was found to be too high at times. This in spite of the fact that the company was paying a premium for low-sulphur oil in order to minimise pollution.
Mr Borg was unable to explain how this had happened, saying he was not responsible for the purchase of the oil used for electricity generation.
The committee was at that time analysing an Auditor General report that had flagged several shortcomings in the fuel procurement process.
A month later, in November 2013, the then Enemalta chairman Charles Mangion admitted that the company was occasionally still accepting fuel consignments outside the specifications.
Dr Mangion said this exception was only being made so long as the company remained under the level allowed by emissions regulations. Replacing these consignments would be too costly and impractical given the low stock levels, he had said.