BWSC heavy fuel oil use to end in April, Konrad Mizzi reveals

The minister within the Office of the Prime Minister says that four HFO turbines will be shut down by the end of April • New water project will provide farmers with treated water

Joe Mizzi (second from left), Konrad Mizzi and Roderick Galdes
Joe Mizzi (second from left), Konrad Mizzi and Roderick Galdes

The remaining four heavy-fuel oil turbines in the BWSC plant in Delimara will be permanently switched off by next month, OPM minister Konrad Mizzi said on Tuesday.

Mizzi, who was addressing a public meeting in the ‘Gvern Li Jisma’ series with transport minister Joe Mizzi and parliamentary secretary Roderick Galdes, said that with the other four turbines having already been converted to fire on gas, the last four turbines would be dismantled as there was no need for them to be converted to gas use as well.

Mizzi was interrupted just as he was about to deliver his opening speech by eight protesters wearing pig masks and holding up signs protesting the government’s decision to sell public land at 10% of its true value and the behaviour of top government officials.

As the protestes stood silently behind him and his colleagues, Mizzi went on to announce a new project – New Water – that will be providing up to 7 million litres of treated water to the agriculture industry.

   •   Read more: Mizzi stunned by ‘pig mask’ protest in Gvern Li Jisma’ meeting

He said three water treatment plants will be set up – with the first one to be built in Tac-Cumnija, in Mellieha – so that farmers will be able to make use of this water instead of the salty water they used so far.

Under the new project, the government will be providing water of the highest quality; in fact, he said, only Israel and Singapore provide better-quality water for agricultural use.

The Mellieha plant alone will be able to generate 6,700 cubic metres of water a day.

The water would be delivered to the farmers through a pipe network that was currently being installed, Mizzi said.

Transport minister Joe Mizzi said that the government’s strategy in the past four years had focused on the country’s best interests.

“We found many projects that had been started under the previous administration but had not been seen through, and we did not hesitate to take on those projects with as equal a zeal as we did new projects we launched ourselves,” he said.

Mizzi said that major projects, like the Kappara junction, were a measure of this government’s commitment and vision, with the works being projected to be completed by the end of the year.

“Another major success registered under this government is the improvement registered in public transport

Galdes revealed that the government had published a request for tenders for the construction of a breakwater in Marsaxlokk, with work scheduled to start in September.

He said his department had cooperated closely with Konrad Mizzi in the planning and implementation of the New Water project, under which farmers will be able to make use of treated water, provided by the government, instead of using the salt water syphoned from the water table.