Works on a €70 million project that will shift Enemed's fuel storage operations from the 31st March 1979 tanks in the heart of Birżebbuġa to Ħas Saptan are well underway, Energy Minister Joe Mizzi said.

The Birżebbuġa plant will be decommissioned by the end of this year due to its non-conformity with the EU standards. Enemed had filed a planning application for the project in 2015.

The project has been in the making since 2014

The Ħas Saptan fuel storage complex, near Ħal-Għaxaq, was built in the 1950s for Nato use. In the 1980s parts of it were leased for use by civilian vessels of the Soviet Union. Since then some of the tanks have been leased to private operators and Enemed itself.

The complex consists of a number of tunnels dug at a depth of 45 meters at the head of the Has-Saptan valley. It is connected by tunnels and pipelines to Grand Harbour and Marsaxlokk.

A modern tanker-truck loading facility is currently being built.

Enemed officials said tankers will still discharge their cargo at Marsaxlokk but it will be pumped directly to Ħas Saptan instead of the Birzebbugia tanks.

During a site visit to Ħas Saptan, Mr Mizzi said the project would help give Birzebbugia a fresh look. 

Various environmental organisations had called for a thorough environmental impact assessment when the project was announced.

"The consequences for the natural environment, designated as an area of High Landscape Value, which is in regular use for recreation, should not be taken lightly," BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa and Nature Trust (Malta) had said.

Enemed CEO Kevin Chircop sought to allay those fears, saying the project sought to minimise any negative environmental impact.

The NGOs had also stressed risks to people’s health had to be considered, especially since there could be hazardous waste and possible leakage from the fuel storage tanks.

Asked about this, Enemed chief operations officer Philip Borg said the tanks were equipped with sensors that would notify workers of any problems. They would also go into emergency shut down should any problems persist, he said.

In case of a fire, areas of the facility were equipped with sensors that would be isolated and flooded, he added.

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