Power cuts causing frustration as sizzling temperatures hit the island were not due to generation capacity problems but the result of cable faults, Enemalta has told Times of Malta.
Extreme temperatures, such as the unbearable heat hitting Malta these days, usually lead to a spike in demand as people switch on cooling units indoors. On Wednesday, a new all-time national electricity peak load of 438 megawatts was reached, the highest since July 23, 2007, when 434 megawatts were needed to meet customers’ demands. The peak in July last year hit 381 megawatts.
The current load levels were also the highest since the Marsa power station was shut down and put on cold standby earlier this year.
Demand is expected to continue rising in the coming weeks as the summer heat persists. Enemalta said it would maintain an adequate level of spare capacity to ensure security of supply.
The launch of the interconnector with Italy earlier this year raised hopes that power cuts would be a thing of the past. However, Sliema suffered a power cut yesterday and, last week, blackouts were reported in Iklin, Balzan, Birkirkara, Gżira, Msida and San Ġwann, among other localities. The power cuts also affected internet services, ATMs and traffic lights.
Enemalta said workers were monitoring the impact of the rising temperatures on the generation and distribution equipment at the Delimara power station and other locations. Where necessary, adjustments were made to optimise their operation and at night, as the demand drops, technicians and engineers were carrying out additional maintenance works to prepare the generation plants for the next day’s peaks.
When asked why the investment in the electricity supply had not resulted in any substantial changes, Enemalta insisted there was no problem with capacity.
“Enemalta’s current electricity generation capacity is capable of meeting the demand requirements of the country, even during periods of severe weather conditions, when consumption tends to increase. The company has the necessary resources, including spare capacity, to cater for [such] requirements,” a spokesman said.
He insisted the disruptions in supply were caused by cable faults in the areas that had experienced power cuts.
In each case, Enemalta said it immediately dispatched emergency teams of technicians and engineers to address the problems.
It also said it had assigned additional technical teams to provide a quicker response because of the extreme weather conditions being experienced.
The Meteorological Office has warned that Malta would be the hottest country in Europe this week. It said a wave of high pressure would continue along the centre of the Mediterranean region over the coming days.
Meanwhile, as Enemalta tries to cope with the spike in demand for electricity, it said it was implementing a number of major projects to reinforce the national electricity network and acquire the necessary flexibility to reduce supply disruptions.
This includes the development of four new distribution centres as well as an increase in the number of connection configurations between the different nodes of the electricity grid.