10 years ago - The Sunday Times
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Enemalta admits €16m of losses are avoidable
Enemalta has admitted for the first time that it is making avoidable losses of €16 million. The social partners have been asking the government to quantify Enemalta’s cost of inefficiency amid the controversy of the hike in electricity and water rates.
Though Enemalta confirmed its percentage of inefficiency, it had failed to quantify it in terms of euro losses. These losses range from theft, to billing inaccuracies, to the inefficiency of the Marsa power station.
Figures compiled by The Sunday Times based on 2005 production figures – the last time the corporation’s accounts were audited – show that the avoidable losses are actually closer to €27 million.
The discrepancy arises because the estimates provided by Enemalta are not based on the production cost provided recently by the Prime Minister and the Infrastructure Minister. They both said the cost of production per unit was 18c, whereas Enemalta is basing its figures on a cost of 10c8.
A total of 2.26 billion units of electricity were generated in 2005. These figures relating to inefficiencies do not take into account unavoidable losses, which account for six per cent of total units sent out to the grid.
25 years ago - The Times
Tuesday, November 16, 1993
Little hope of agreement on GWU budget claims
Hopes of an agreement between the General Workers’ Union and the government on the union’s claims for the 1994 budget are slim, a senior union official said yesterday, warning of action to back up the union’s claims.
Jack Calamatta, the GWU’s deputy general secretary, said that if an agreement was not reached, workers should be ready to take the action which the union thought fit. The GWU felt that a Lm1.25 weekly wage increase was not enough because the retail price index was not realistic and the cost of living was rising.
He said the GWU was also asking for compensation for increased telephone, water and postage rates. Mr Calamatta said employers were not ready to give more than a Lm1.25 increase, because it would hurt their competitiveness.
Tama One drilling stopped
Drilling on the ‘Tama One’ well off Malta has been stopped 15 days ahead of schedule, it was confirmed yesterday.
A government source said last night that drilling at the well had been completed even though it was not meant to be finished until the end of this month.
Half a century ago - Times of Malta
Saturday, November 16, 1968
PM leaves for India
The Prime Minister today concludes his six-day visit to Japan. The Maltese delegation leaves for India and Singapore. Dr Borg Olivier will pay a five-day official visit to India at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Mrs Indira Gandhi.
Fatal accident at Mellieħa
Carmel Camilleri, 20, of Żebbuġ, was yesterday killed in an accident at Mellieħa Bay.
The stairway of a building under construction gave way while Camilleri was descending the steps. Masonry fell on his head and he died instantly.
Grievously injured in fall
Salvatore Fava of Birżebbuġa was yesterday taken to St Luke’s Hospital suffering from injuries of a grievous nature after he fell at Birżebbuġa. He was in danger of losing his life.
US commandant’s visit
A senior representative of the US Armed Forces, General L. Chapman, Commandant, US Marine Corps, made a lightning visit to Malta yesterday.