A new sewage treatment plant in Xgħajra was expected to be operational in September once the necessary tests were concluded, Water Services Corporation chief executive officer Marc Muscat said.

Mr Muscat said the plant, expected to treat between 80 and 85 per cent of the country's sewage, had been redesigned to cover a small footprint and reduce possible odours.

He was speaking during a planning authority board meeting on Thursday where the designs were given the green light.

The area of the redesigned sewage treatment plant will be 4,000 square metres smaller than what had been proposed in the original project approved by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority in 2008.

Mr Muscat explained that the redesigned treatment plant was the result of more effective technology and a different layout of the equipment on site, including the tanks. The gas generated by the treated sewage would be used on site, making the plant fully energy efficient.

The planning directorate told the board that the plant would still have a significant visual impact and recommended landscaping to mitigate it.