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James Debono
Despite its soaring oil prices, Malta’s policy on renewable energy has still not yet seen the light in Malta.
Yet details on Malta’s energy policy emerged in Rome last Wednesday when a consultant for the UK consultancy firm responsible for drafting Malta’s policy on alternative energy made a presentation entitled “Case Study: Renewable Energy in the Republic of Malta.”
According to the organiser’s website, the presentation dealt with the potential of renewable energies in Malta, the feasibility of widespread applications of each technology, and hybrid solutions for Malta and the impact of renewable energy sources on the Maltese electricity grid.
The conference was organised by the Renewable Power Association between the 14 and 16 November in Rome.
According to Mott MacDonald’s website, the UK firm had submitted the report for the first phase of a study to develop a strategy for renewable electricity exploitation in Malta for the Malta Resources Authority in April 2005.
The aim of the study undertaken by Mott MacDonald was to provide a range of strategic options for renewable electricity generation to help the Maltese government meet a target percentage of national power demand to be determined.
The first phase, which was never made public, involved using an economic cost optimisation model to define the most appropriate mixture of renewable generation types, including wind and solar.
In the second phase, Mott MacDonald developed a set of policies that could be used to support the introduction of renewable generation sources and identify ways of raising finance for a support policy.
The final phase, which according to the same website was completed in August, involved developing a chosen technology scenario and associated policy option into a ‘roadmap’ for introducing renewable generation capacity to the islands.
Back in September, a spokesperson for Resources and Infrastructure Minister Ninu Zammit confirmed that work on these three phases was “in hand” and appropriate consultation with the public and stakeholders were to start as from October 2005.
No reply was forthcoming from the ministry on why this consultation process has not yet started.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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