€140 Million Spent On Energy Distribution Not Felt By People, Says PN

The Nationalist Party has called for Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to begin discussing the National Audit Office's report into Malta's 2023 electricity crisis, arguing that the issue should remain at the top of the national agenda.

The request is expected to be made during the committee's meeting tomorrow.

The report, published in July 2024 and titled High-Level Review: Enemalta's Planning and Investment in the Local Electricity Distribution Network, concluded that widespread power cuts during the summer of 2023 were caused by faults across the electricity network, particularly in high-voltage cable joints during periods of high demand and extreme temperatures.

According to the PN, the report found significant shortcomings in Enemalta's planning and investment, stating that insufficient spending on the electricity distribution network was the main cause of the crisis.

The Opposition noted that investment in the network between 2014 and 2023 had fallen to around one-third of pre-2014 levels, despite increasing demand.

The party questioned the Government's claim that €140 million had been invested in strengthening the distribution network over the past three years, arguing that the latest power cuts suggest the underlying problems have not been resolved. It called on Energy Minister Miriam Dalli to provide a detailed breakdown of how the funds were spent.

The PN also criticised the Government for failing to implement the report's recommendations and said the findings had never been discussed in Parliament. It further referred to the report's conclusion that Enemalta repeatedly failed to submit required Network Development Plans to the regulator.

The Opposition has also requested an urgent meeting of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development to discuss the ongoing electricity crisis and has criticised the Government for not holding a parliamentary debate before Parliament adjourned for the summer.

#MaltaDaily