Gozo in crisis as electricity cables in Xewkija and Comino melt

Thousands of Gozitans and tourists spent a night without electricity after two high tension cables melted in Xewkija and Comino as Malta bakes in a heatwave.

The island was plunged into crisis on Friday night with energy supplier Enemalta confirming major faults on two of the three 33kv high voltage cables supplying Gozo with electricity from Malta. One of Gozo’s two substations was also damaged.

The island woke up on Saturday morning without electricity as Enemalta rations supply across its network. Several generators were also mobilised to provide temporary relief in various localities.

Enemalta scrambled technical teams to Gozo on Friday night as workers tried to identify where the faults had occurred. It was late on Friday that the first fault on a 33kv underground cable was located in Xewkija.

In another update on Saturday morning, Enemalta said its technical teams located the second fault in Comino, close to the distribution centre.

“Equipment and resources are now being mobilised to the site so that repair works can commence,” the company said. It added that works on the first fault in Xewkija, are ongoing.

“Electricity supply across the affected areas is still being managed temporarily while repairs are carried out. Customers may therefore continue to experience periods where supply is restored temporarily, as available electricity is distributed across different areas,” the company said.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said she was in direct contact with Enemalta and Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri.

“I understand the inconvenience and difficulties that residents, businesses and tourists are experiencing… the immediate priority is for Enemalta to restore electricity to the largest number of clients possible, while we ensure the company has all the resources at its disposal to carry out the repair works,” Dalli said.