Updated | Power returns to Naxxar, Mosta after 10-hour outage from damaged underground cables

Parts of Malta were left without electricity after damage to underground power cables that left parts of Naxxar and Mosta without any electricity between 11pm and 9am.

Enemalta said that its workers had conducted repairs in different localities to address the damage to the power cables. Power returned to these villages at around 9am.

During the night between Monday and Tuesday, five unrelated underground cable faults were registered in different parts of the two localities, disrupting supply to customers in different areas. Electricity supply to some customers could be restored within a short time through alternative network connections.

However, in some areas, the faults affected the additional connections as well and supply restoration was not possible until the cable repairs are completed. These repairs require road excavations and delicate high voltage cable jointing works to replace the damaged cables.

Electricity supply will be gradually restored in the affected areas during the day, as the repairs continue with different teams of workers in different areas. All customers are expected to be reconnected to the grid by Tuesday afternoon.

During the night, as the faults occurred, Enemalta immediately dispatched its technical teams to identify the location of the cable faults and launch repairs. Excavation, cable jointing and testing works are still in progress in three locations in Mosta and Naxxar.

Enemalta CEO Jonathan Cardona thanked the workers involved in these major repair works and the company’s customers for their cooperation. “Such faults in our underground infrastructure cannot be eliminated and we regret the inconveniences they cause to our customers, especially during summer,” Cardona said.

“However, through our ongoing six-year €90 million network reinforcement programme we are committed to keep improving network flexibility and resilience so that when such difficulties happen, we can restore supply in the shortest time possible. Through the upgrades completed in recent months, we have already strengthened the network in many parts of Malta. Several upgrades in Mosta and Naxxar are underway as well. Moreover, the two localities’ network will continue to be consolidated with the new distribution centre we are planning for this region,” Cardona explained.

Enemalta said it kept consumers updated on the repair works through SMS. People can subscribe to the service at no cost by sending an SMS with the ID number of the account holder to 79052492.

The power outages come as Malta is about to experience a week-long heatwave with temperatures set to feel like 40°C. The Met Office has since issued a red warning.