VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta’s dependence on imported electricity hit record highs in 2024, with interconnector purchases from Sicily surging by nearly 50%, while local power generation plunged, new official data shows.
Provisional figures from the National Statistics Office reveal electricity imports reached 970.4 gigawatt-hours (GWh) — a 49.7% increase over 2023. Meanwhile, output from domestic plants fell by 8.7% to 1,849.9 GWh. Imported power now makes up 31.1% of Malta’s total supply.
The shift has reduced emissions from local plants by 7.8% but raised energy security concerns, leaving Malta reliant on a single submarine cable for almost one-third of its power. The government is constructing a second interconnector to mitigate this risk.
Total electricity demand climbed 6.5% to a record 3,106.1 GWh, widening the supply gap. Renewables grew modestly — up 5.6% to 336.0 GWh — yet still account for only 10.8% of total supply.
The developments revive scrutiny of the Electrogas project, a 2013 Labour government initiative meant to ensure energy stability but later engulfed in corruption scandals. Investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was probing the deal when she was murdered in 2017.
EU authorities have also initiated infringement proceedings over Malta’s delays in adopting renewable energy rules. Critics warn that state energy subsidies, which cost €320 million in 2024, are fuelling consumption and discouraging efficiency, worsening the island’s growing power dependency.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
