Power restored in Valletta as Enemalta continues repairs across Malta

Power has been restored to affected parts of Valletta after Enemalta completed repairs to two damaged underground electricity cables, while engineers continue working to resolve localised outages elsewhere across Malta.

The state-owned energy company said the repairs in Valletta were particularly complex because of existing underground infrastructure. A separate technical team was also deployed to the capital on Thursday to replace a temporary generator that developed technical faults.

Enemalta Executive Chairperson Ryan Fava said record-breaking temperatures had pushed electricity demand to unprecedented levels, placing exceptional strain on sections of the national distribution network.

According to the company, electricity demand reached a record peak of 741MW in recent days, exceeding all previous highs.

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Fava said the sections of the network that had already undergone reinforcement performed well during the recent period of extreme demand. He said most of the faults occurred in areas where planned upgrades have yet to be completed.

He said Enemalta has been investing in strengthening and modernising the country's electricity distribution network through what he described as an unprecedented nationwide infrastructure programme, although he acknowledged that such works take time to complete.

"The speed and scale at which demand increased during several consecutive days of extreme heat was unprecedented," Fava said.

He added the company was aware of the disruption caused to households and businesses and said crews would continue working around the clock to restore electricity supplies as quickly and safely as possible.

Meanwhile, Enemalta said equipment damaged in a fire earlier this week at the substation serving The Village in St Julian's has been removed. Technical experts are assessing the damage, and replacement equipment will be installed once the necessary safety clearances are obtained, with the aim of returning the substation to service in the coming days.

The company has also increased staffing levels at its 24-hour Helpline 153 and reminded customers to report power interruptions through its official reporting channels, including its dedicated WhatsApp service, saying reports submitted through other platforms are not received by Enemalta.