The Labour Party asked today why the governemnt has not published the Alternative Energy Action Plan, sent to the EU on July 6.

Party spokesman Leo Brincat said the plan was due to have been submitted to the EU at the end of June.

The document was sent to the EU earlier this month and was dated July 6. Yet on July 7, Resources Minister George Pullicino said the document was still being finalised..

Mr Brincat asked what had caused the delay in the submission oft he document, and why no one had been told about it in Malta.

He also asked how the government's targets had been raised by 1% in the month since the publication of the last official documents. He also asked what guarantees there were that the targets would be attained, avoiding penalties imposed by the EU.

He asked how targets on increased used of biofuel would be attained when the use of this fuel was decreasing.

Similarly, how would solar energy targets be achieved when the introduction of photovoltaic systems was proceeding in fits and starts and the government had not introduced feed-in tariffs as an incentive for those who produced alternative energy?

Mr Brincat said it was difficult to see the use of solar heaters increasing when governemnt schemes were based on means testing - such that those interested in this technology were not eligible for assistance, while those who were eligible had such a low income, that they could not afford the difference in outlay.

As for the wind farms, it was still not known if the biggest planned wind farm, at Sikka l-Bajda, would actually happen.

He also observed that the eco-Gozo project remained on paper and many strange decisions in Gozo were going against this concept.