The oldest part of the Delimara power station will be formally decommissioned as of Friday and will no longer be on stand-by, Energy Minister Joe Mizzi said. 

Delimara 1, as it is known, was put on standby when the new Electrgas power station was commissioned.

It was built amid controversy over its location in 1990. It operated on heavy fuel oil and its chimney is the highest structure in Malta at 150 metres. Work on demolition is due to start later this year.

READ: Italian firm will dismantle old Delimara power station, chimney

Mr Mizzi toured Enemalta's offices and the Planning and Operations Centre and thanked the workers for their service, particularly in the conversion of power-generating plants to run on gas. 

He said demand for electricity this month reached 469Mw compared to 438Mw in the same month two years ago. 

The building of Delimara 1 in its early stages.

Distribution centres would be extended to cope with increased demand, the minister said.Enemalta, he said, would 

Enemalta, he said, would also seek to improve services to customers, an area where progress had also been made, with waiting time for connections reduced by 60 per cent. 

Mr Mizzi said the Planning and Operations Centre, inaugurated a few months ago, would, in time, control all distribution centres and the 1,300 sub-stations, making it easier to restore service should faults develop. 

Some 700 CCTVs will be installed to that engineers could better monitor the important installations.  

Mr Mizzi being shown around the Enemalta operations centre.

The Delimara site before construction of the first power station started. Picture: Enemalta.