NGO wants transparency on energy generation plans

Friends of the Earth Malta has called on the government to be more transparent on its energy generation plans.

Reports in the media suggest that the government may abandon plans to develop wind farms. With just 1.4% use of renewable energy, Malta is at the bottom of the EU list in renewable energy production.

According to the government, Malta will reach the projected renewable energy sources share for 2014 by using photovoltaics (PV), solar thermal (a contribution not easily assessed) and biofuels.

According to FoE, this raises further questions on the current PV production and on the likely limits on area – including possible marine areas - available for PV.

The government is eyeing biofuels as one of its source but, according to the NGO, leaves out renewable energy generated from waste.

“The production suffered a serious setback with the Sant'Antnin Waste Treatment Plant failure. Friends of the Earth Malta is against any use of agrofuels, unless these come from sustainable sources such as used cooking oil,” the NGO said. 

“The production of agrofuels has potentially far-reaching social and environmental impacts, and raises urgent questions about whether they are an effective or economical way of helping to combat climate change”

FoE explained that the rapid development and promotion of agrofuels has resulted in a number of high level warnings about their global implications for the environment, food security and economy.

Only last month the EU energy ministers voted to limit agrofuels in an attempt to prevent biofuels competing with food and causing deforestation.

“After all the time and resources spent on wind energy studies, the public deserves to know what the realistic prospects for onshore and offshore wind turbines are. It is high time that government takes the renewable energy targets seriously and lift Malta up from the bottom spot of the European charts,” the NGO said.