Sicily cable supplied a third of Malta’s electricity in 2025

The Sicily-Malta interconnector supplied 33.5% of Malta’s total electricity distribution in 2025, slightly higher than the 32.4% recorded in 2024.

Figures published by Enemalta plc show that only a small proportion of the electricity imported through the cable came from renewable sources. Renewable energy accounted for a provisional 9.8% of the interconnector mix in 2025, up from 8% in 2024.

The remaining imported electricity was largely generated from non-renewable sources, including natural gas (68.4%), coal (9.2%), nuclear energy (4.6%) and petroleum products (0.9%).

This means that more than eight out of every 10 units of electricity imported through the interconnector in 2025 originated from fossil fuel or nuclear power.

Enemalta has previously explained that Malta has limited control over the exact generation sources of electricity imported through the interconnector since electricity is purchased through the European wholesale market rather than directly from individual power stations.

The utility company has said that electricity flows through the interconnector reflect the generation mix available in the wider European market at the time of purchase. It has also pointed out that renewable energy guarantees or certificates are traded separately from physical electricity flows, meaning that purchasing electricity through the cable does not automatically result in a higher renewable component.

In a recent interview with MaltaToday Climate Action Authority CEO Abigail Cutajar

explained that since Malta buys electricity on the daily open trading market, it cannot dictate the exact origin of imported power. She stressed that Malta could not rely solely on the interconnector and needed to continue expanding domestic renewable energy generation to reach its target of 25% renewable energy by 2030.

The 2025 figures confirm the increased role played by the interconnector since 2024, when imported electricity rose sharply following high summer demand and periods of reduced availability from domestic power plants.

Before this increase, the interconnector accounted for a considerably smaller share of Malta’s electricity mix, ranging between 21% and 22.9% in 2022 and 2023.

The composition of imported electricity has also changed since the European energy crisis of 2023. While coal accounted for 22.8% of the interconnector’s electricity mix, in 2023, by 2025, coal’s share had fallen to 9.2%, while renewable imports reached their highest provisional level.

The changing energy mix contributed to a reduction in Malta’s electricity emissions factor. In 2025, the provisional figure fell to 364g of CO₂ per kilowatt hour, down from 380gCO₂/kWh in 2024 and below the crisis peak of 394gCO₂/kWh recorded in 2023.