Work has started on converting the BWSC power plant to use gas instead of heavy fuel oil, the prime minister said today.
Thanking minister Konrad Mizzi and the Enemalta management, Joseph Muscat said that half of the BWSC power station was stopped last week and the heavy fuel oil infrastructure started being dismantled to be replaced by gas-firing equipment.
He said the gas storage tanker would arrive in the coming months for use in the first phase of the project until, in a few years' time, it is replaced by a gas pipeline from Sicily.
This, he said, was the second phase of the energy masterplan following the reduction in electricity bills.
Speaking at a Labour Party activity in Zabbar, Dr Muscat started off by saying that he was very proud of Ira Losco's performance and the efforts made by the team with her at the Eurovision Song Contest. This, he said, was a national effort in which the country had made the best use of available talent, without looking at anyone's political background.
Unfortunately, he said, some had sunk to the depths of political criticism even here.
As for those criticizing the efforts for Malta to do well, Dr Muscat said he would plead 'guilty as charged' and would do the same next year because he wanted the best for the country.
Dr Muscat then spoke on progress on various sectors, such as civil society rights, notably for LGBTI.
NEW MIDDLE CLASS
He highlighted the pension increases made in the last Budget and said further progress would be made in the next Budget. That would apply also to those who were currently at the edge of the poverty line.
"We are creating a new middle class" the prime minister said.
He said the government's progress could be seen in all sectors, including how it solved the out of stock medicines problem.
Dr Muscat said the Opposition was lacking ideas, a case in point being the PN's plans for transport. However, he noted, the PN had proposed a bus service for government workers. Would this mean the end of flexi-hours and teleworking? Or would this be a shuttle service, thus creating more traffic?
Dr Muscat said much had to be done to further improve the transport sector. There was no doubt, he said, that the works at Kappara junction would create inconvenience for up to two years. But this government took decisions which the former government postponed. This was pain for ultimate gain for the people.
The prime minister defended his participation in an anti-corruption conference in London last week. He had done so because he had taken decisions over the Panama papers, he said. In contrast Simon Busuttil never spoke about the former government's corruption when he was the former prime minster's special delegate.
On the forthcoming election of the PL deputy leader for party affairs, he said party delegates had a difficult choice.