Consumers will receive one-time payment as compensation for July power cuts

Households and businesses that experienced over six hours of power cuts last July will be entitled to a one-time payment as compensation for the inconvenience.

The payment will be granted in the form of an automatic credit to their utility bills based on the average consumption of households during the corresponding three-month period of the previous year.

For example, a residential account that had their supply interrupted for six to eight hours will receive a €60 credit.

The credit amounts that will be given to affected households

Starting from the second week of October and onwards, customers will see a credit line item on their ARMS bill indicating the payment provided.

Eligible residential accounts will be notified by letter through ARMS. This letter will be sent out in the coming days.

Customers with domestic accounts are not included automatically. However, in the cases of summer residences, people can apply via the relevant online application form on the ARMS website.

Customers that experienced exceptional faults during the same period can also apply via the online application form. This application will open on Monday, 9 October until 31 December this year.

Enemalta and ARMS will carry out a validation exercise before issuing the credit amount.

Business compensation

Businesses that experienced an interruption in the electricity supply will also be eligible for a one-time payment.

Businesses with a commercial account will be entitled to a payment equivalent to one month’s consumption calculated on the actual average consumption of that account in June, July and August 2022.

This amount will increase gradually depending on the number of hours impacted, and will be capped at a maximum of €10,000 per account.

Businesses, meaning non-residential accounts, will be eligible for the one-time payment at the above rates.

This scheme will be operated in collaboration with Malta Enterprise. Businesses that experienced an interruption in the power supply can apply online on electricitypayment.maltaenterprise.com. Enemalta and ARMS will carry out a validation exercise here too.

The application form for non-residential accounts will open on Friday, 29 September.

In a statement, the energy ministry said that it will be giving this payment ex gratia due to the unprecedented heatwave that same week, which it says affected the electricity distribution system.

A helpline has been set up and can be called on 80002024. Emails can also be sent to [email protected].