Labour leader Joseph Muscat yesterday insisted that an urgent Parliamentary debate be held on the Opposition's motion about the Delimara power station extension.
He made the call a day after Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the issue would be discussed in Parliament.
Speaking in St Paul's Bay yesterday morning, Dr Muscat said if Dr Gonzi was comfortable with the explanation given by Investments Minister Austin Gatt, the Prime Minister would call an urgent discussion.
On Saturday, the PL announced it would be presenting a motion in Parliament condemning the "contaminated" contract awarded to Danish firm BWSC for the power station's €200 million extension.
But the scathing claims, one of which has Dr Gatt changing environmental laws to benefit the equipment of this particular company, were denied by the ministry which insisted the contract was awarded to the suitable bidder with the lowest asking price and that the new plant would conform to EU environmental norms.
The power station extension is controversial because another company had made a cheaper bid for a more environmentally friendly gas turbine. BWSC's turbine could be converted to gas at an additional price tag of €27.5 million.
However, last August, climate change committee chairman David Spiteri Gingell - who was also a member of the adjudicating panel for the tenders for the new plant - said that gas energy would not be possible for at least another five years. He said building a gas pipeline would not happen overnight; importing compressed natural gas would need a ship to dock every 18 hours while importing liquefied natural gas would need a shuttle every three weeks as well as an all-weather dock or an increase in storage capacity.
In an interview on Saturday evening as part of the Independence Day celebrations, Dr Gonzi said his government was prepared to discuss any subject, although the issue had already been discussed by Parliament's Public Accounts Committee.
But yesterday, Dr Muscat reiterated his call for an urgent Parliamentary debate, challenging Dr Gonzi to an immediate discussion "if he believes his government was stable enough to face the motion".
Using an expression associated with former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami, Dr Muscat said "good will prevail" (is-sewwa jirbaħ żgur). He stressed the technology used by the winning bidder would have to be changed within seven years and would generate tonnes of waste, oils and dust every day.
He also said an internal Enemalta report pointed towards "a high degree of political interference in the running of the corporation" and asked whether Dr Gatt would be publishing it.
Asked about this, a ministry spokesman said it had not been aware of the report before it was mentioned by the PL media and had asked for a copy but could not comment beforehand. "The ministry is not in the habit of suppressing reports though the report may contain information of commercial significance that cannot be published," it said.
Dr Muscat said the €4 million paid in commission in relation to the contract could have been used for other reasons which were beneficial to the country and criticised the government for targeting social benefits, starting with single mothers, in a "vile and conservative strategy by an unstable government". Last week the government said it was reviewing a number of social benefits in a drive to cut expenditure and keep the deficit in check.
Dr Muscat also spoke about a recent court judgment on the distribution of free energy-saving bulbs. The judge said the way the Malta Resources Authority had issued its latest list of bulbs which could be granted under the scheme did not show that everything was done fairly and transparently.
Dr Muscat questioned why the government had not commented on this judgment. But the Resources Ministry said it was not prudent to comment since a court case was ongoing. It also gave its assurance that the scheme was still running as usual.