Our strategy to power your future

A few days ago, the Nationalist Party launched its energy vision that goes beyond the 5 year electoral cycles. Our strategy, based on 6 pillars, also includes immediate short term measures, that correct the evident flaws in our electricity market, coupled with the energy mix to provide for security of supply, whilst achieving our medium term targets for 2030 and gradually becoming a carbon neutral state by 2050.

At present Malta lacks a true vision for the future of the energy sector. This is substantiated by the European Commission’s response in October 2020 on the National Energy and Climate Plan presented to it by this government, describing it unambitious and lacking in recommendations.

Cheapest first supply policy

The 18-year contract entered into with Electrogas and its notorious 80% take-or-pay clause is a chain tied to the neck. All government commitments will be reviewed within the legal context ensuring all contracts are driven to the cheapest opportunity. Cheapest first also means ensuring that the consumer pays the fair price of electricity and is not ‘robbed’ by the erraneous billing system, which a future PN Government will revisit.

Energy efficiency first

Energy efficiency means less consumption, in turn meaning lower bills for our citizens and reducing emissions and pollution. In summary energy efficiency is the win-win scenario. Nonetheless it is true that energy efficiency comes usually with an upfront cost. Albeit paying back big time, this cost may be a barrier for some to reach their households’ full potential in energy efficiency. In our vision we are implementing the energy efficiency first principle through grants and other schemes that bridge the gap and make the technology truly accessible for all. We also commit to a transformation of the current EPC certification from an information tool, to one that effectively implements energy efficiency in buildings.

Long term alternative national generation capacity

The commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050 is an objective we are committed to retain. This may be done if we detach ourselves from fossil fuels such as natural gas, with a focus on hydrogen as a renewable fuel source to sustain existing and future land based gas turbines, which will remain necessary to counteract for intermittancy from renewables. Likewise, our internal discussion has identified possible solutions to those families who do not enjoy  solar rights.

Drive towards electrification

One of the biggest consumers of energy in the local context is transport of people and goods, specifically road transport. We will pursue the road of electrification of transport further supporting an already growing electric vehicle market. Addressing the immediate, we need to rectify the anomaly of EV night charging tariffs, currently at 13c a unit, which is way higher than a truly advantageous tariff, noting that the lowest tariff for domestic is 10c5. We will bridge this, additionally ensuring that the infrastructure relative to electric vehicles keeps up with the demand, with a growing number of charging points and pillars across the islands up to 10% of the existing electric fleet at the time. Electrification may also take the shape of electrified public transport including a mass rapid transit systems.

Further interconnection to Europe

Albeit driving towards energy efficiency, the drive to electrification comes at a cost of increasing demand which needs to be met, whilst ensuring that any technical glitch in one or another source of generation does not lead to a statewide power cut. At this stage a solution in the short to medium term is further interconnection to Europe through a second interconnector that possibly runs through a different route from the one already in place for further security of supply.

Offshore large-scale renewables

Going offshore is the only way out for concrete growth in renewable energy for Malta. Wind technology has gone through 12 years of evolution in the technology and the advent of floating platforms overcomes major issues. We feel that now is the time to once again start looking into reaping wind energy. Floating offshore is establishing itself and costs are coming down, in a way that in the next years, floating wind will turn out cheaper than conventional generation.

We already have examples in Scotland and Portugal were such tech is already well placed to compete with conventional generators.  With the technology going from a maximum depth of 50m in 2010 to somewhere around 250m in 2021, a larger area has now become available further out at sea.

We will now present our vision to the consituted bodies, stakeholders, civil society, experts at large and all those who have an idea to contibute. We will listen, to better this vision for when the time comes to present it to our electorate for a sustainable future.