PN lambasts 'outdated' energy policy after government fails to secure EU funds for gas pipeline

The Nationalist Party is taking the labour administration to task over a failed attempt to secure EU funding for a gas pipeline.

They described the lost funds as a confirmation of an outdated energy policy devoid of any futuristic decisions. 

"Today's decision by the European Commission is a certificate that, while Labour politicians were lost in the mess of the gas tanker power station, technological development escaped them, so now we have a situation where our country did not think of a future with hydrogen technology," a party statement reads.

Earlier today, MaltaToday broke the news that Malta will not be receiving any EU cash to help finance its gas pipeline to Sicily, largely because the European Commission wants to move away from gas projects in favour of more climate-friendly options. 

READ ALSO: Malta loses out on EU cash for gas pipeline

The Nationalist Party emphasised that this is not a result of a incompetence from the side of workers, and thanked the engineers and workers at Melita Transgas who helped submit the funding application. 

In their statement, signed off by Opposition's energy spokesperson Ryan Callus, the party went on to criticise the current administration for talking about carbon neutrality in Cabinet meetings while at the same time looking to build a pipleine linked to carbon-emitting technology.

"Logic dictates that government should properly consider the possibilities that new technology offers, like hydrogen and others, that provide the only sustainable option for the future of electricity-production," the statement reads.