Blackouts: cooler temperatures allow speedier repairs on Enemalta grid

As a heatwave started to subside from Wednesday, cooler temperatures saw a lower number of power cable difficulties and improved response times from Enemalta.

Enemalta continued to re-establish the network’s flexibility and resilience a week since nationwide blackouts struck Malta in the middle of an unprecedented heatwave.

“The repairs are giving the Network Control Centre the required alternative connections to restore supply to customers impacted by new network difficulties in less time,” Enemalta said.

Customers impacted by a network fault in parts of Hamrun and Santa Venera on Wednesday night were reconnected to the grid within a few hours. In some cases, however, when multiple faults ocur in the same area as happened during the last 10 days, longer restoration times may still be required.

Enemalta said it was continuing to increase technical teams to speed up ongoing repairs. On Wednesday night, Enemalta engineers and technicians also completed a separate operation to replace a damaged substation transformer in Qormi. Customers impacted by this network difficulty were reconnected to the grid as soon as the new transformer was tested and energised.

Enemalta said it had also tackled localised faults that had affected the electricity supply of individual customers or small areas, such as parts of a street.

“We truly appreciate all our technical and non-technical teams, who are supporting each other to complete the extensive works required,” Enemalta chairman Ing. Ryan Falzon said. “Our efforts will continue in the coming days, so that we may regain the required network resilience as soon as technically possible.”

Customers experiencing difficulties in their electricity services can call Enemalta’s customer care team on 8000 2224 or the Servizz.Gov Helpline 153.