VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta’s Prime Minister has suggested that the country’s electricity subsidies, in place since 2022, could eventually be reduced once a gas pipeline linking Malta to Sicily is completed.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview, the Prime Minister said the subsidies were introduced to cushion households and businesses from high energy costs and to offset Malta’s structural disadvantages as an island state dependent on imports.
However, he indicated that such support could not remain permanent and may be reconsidered only after Malta secures alternative energy supply infrastructure.
Central to those plans is a long-proposed gas pipeline connecting Malta to Sicily, aimed at improving energy security and reducing reliance on liquefied natural gas shipments.
The project, known as Melita TransGas, would consist of a 160-kilometre subsea pipeline linking Gela in Sicily with Delimara in Malta.
The pipeline is estimated to cost around €300 million, with approximately €165 million expected to be financed through European Union funds, subject to approvals.
Energy officials believe a direct gas connection to Sicily could lower electricity generation costs, potentially allowing the government to gradually phase out subsidies in the longer term.
For now, the Prime Minister stressed that any reduction in subsidies remains years away and dependent on the successful delivery of the pipeline project.
– foto IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
