VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Prime Minister Robert Abela has instructed Enemalta, the national energy provider to speed up work on strengthening Malta’s electricity distribution network following recent power cuts, describing the disruptions as unacceptable.
Speaking during a radio interview, Abela said Enemalta had been ordered to accelerate works from this week to improve the resilience of the power grid.
He said the outages were caused by prolonged temperatures above 43°C, which drove electricity demand to record levels as air-conditioning use increased. The extreme heat also prevented cables from dissipating heat efficiently, placing additional strain on the network.
He pledged that the government would do everything possible in the coming months to reduce the risk of similar disruptions, insisting that climate change could not be used as an excuse for recurring power cuts.
“My job is not to identify problems; it is to offer solutions,” Abela said.
The prime minister said the government had invested €160 million in the electricity distribution network over the past three years following the widespread outages of 2023. However, he acknowledged that further investment was needed to prepare for more frequent and prolonged heatwaves.
Abela said the government’s long-term strategy also included completing a second interconnector with Sicily by the end of the year and increasing the share of electricity generated from renewable sources, which has risen from 3% to 17%.
Abela added electricity consumption would continue to rise as Malta advances in digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence, requiring further investment in the grid.
– Photo Laburist Party –
(ITALPRESS).
