Updated | De Marco calls on PM to 'come clean' on energy deals • ministry reacts

PN calls for publication of all contracts signed with Electrogas Malta and Shanghai Electric 

Welcoming government's proposal to discuss the energy deals signed with Electrogas Malta and Shanghai Electric in parliament in Wednesday, PN deputy leader Mario de Marco called on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to "come clean" and publish all contracts signed with the two companies.

"In order to have a serious discussion, government should sign and publish all contracts immediately, otherwise the parliamentary debate will be held in the dark," he said. 

He added that so far, government had failed to disclose the rates and deadlines for the BWSC plant's conversion to gas, the purchase of the plant by the Chinese state owned company and the guarantees over the fate of Enemalta's workers.

In a reaction, the ministry for the energy said that the Opposition decided to break its four-day silence on Malta’s biggest investment by being negative.

“After years in government during which it saw Enemalta on the verge of bankruptcy leaving it with €840 million in debts, the opposition has chosen to ignore the fact that this investment will be saving Enemalta, its workers and Malta’s economy,” it said.

Pointing out that the government was transparent and published the Energy Sector Cooperation and Investment Agreement, signed by Enemalta, Shanghai Electric Power, SEP Malta Holding Ltd and the Maltese government, the ministry said the PN “was now acting as if all commercial details used to be publish”.

According to the ministry, the Oppositin was choosing to ignore a number of facts, including that the power purchase agreement was a commercial agreement; that Enemalta had no minimum requirement obligation to acquire electricity from Delimara 3; that the timelines have already been presented.

Reiterating that workers risked losing their job if there had been no change in direction for Enemalta, the ministry said the government had retained its pledge of cheaper utility bills, eliminating heavy fuel oil and Enemalta’s financial turnaround.

Insisting that government cannot expect to hold a serious debate without giving the opposition time to analyse the contracts, de Marco said that so far, government had only announced the investment principles without disclosing the commitments agreed on the sale of the BWSC plant to the Chinese company, the power purchase agreements signed with Shanghai Electric and Electrogas, the deal with Electrogas over the construction of the new power plant and Enemalta's seven-year business plan.

Asked whether the Opposition was concerned with the deals government signed today with the Azeri government, which has a bad human rights record, de Marco stayed away from controversy, choosing instead to call on Muscat to publish the deals signed in Baku.  

"Why did Muscat have to wait to be asked by the media to reveal the reason behind his trip to Azerbaijan? Now that we got to know that two agreements were signed through the Azeri press we expect to be told what has been signed."