Backlash After Minister Suggests Waiting Out Power Cut With Reading

Jul 23 2023

A reply to a comment on a post by Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli did not go down well with local social media users, after the Minister suggested combatting the power cuts by keeping busy with a book.

The Minister had posted a photo after having exited a public library, to which a Facebook user commented: ‘Whilst you’re posing for photos, the majority of the people feels exhausted with your actions’.

The user, Christian Borg, went on to highlight the current power cut issues, saying that after a day of work, one returns home only to find no electricity.

The Minister’s response revealed that she too was without power. ‘I understand that it is not a joyous situation’, she replied. ‘We read a book until power returns.’

The reply did not go down well, with one other commenter urging the Minister to say the same to the elderly currently stuck at home in the heat or those who risk losing vital medicine due to their refrigerators not working, amongst others.

What do you make of this situation?

#MaltaDaily

Maltese CPD Firefighters Help With Greece’s Wild Fires

Jul 23 2023

Following the news that a contingent of 20 officers from Malta’s Civil Protection Department will be deployed to Greece, images uploaded to social media show the local heroes working tirelessly to help manage to ongoing crisis.

‘During the past week, Civil Protection Malta Firefighters deployed in Greece attended to various wild fires, assisting the Civil Protection Greece as part of the EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid mechanism’, the CPD explained.

Images show the firefighters tending to the wildfires in the Greek countryside which has been beset by constant outbursts of flames and burnings as Europe goes through climate-change-intensified heat waves.

Well done to all! And be safe!

#MaltaDaily

Power Outages Explained | by spunt.mt

Jul 23 2023

Malta and the rest of Europe are grappling with electricity shortages. When temperatures climb, city residents tend to seek refuge in air-conditioned, indoor spaces. That puts a major strain on electricity grids.

The electric grid is made up of the generation side and the distribution side.

The generation side is composed of local generation at the Delimara power station (537MW), the interconnector with Sicily (200MW), and local renewable energy generation (224MW at peak hours). The total electricity generated is larger than the demand for it, for the time being.

This generated electricity is distributed to the consumers via a network of underground cables and substations.

When a cable is in use, heat is generated and dissipated to the surroundings (road, air). The majority of high and medium voltage cables are buried under ground.

Due to the increase in electricity demand in summer, coupled with high ambient temperatures, the rate of heat dissipation of cables is severely impacted. This leads to failure in electrical cable insulation, especially in the weakest distribution points, which are the cable joints.

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How can this be avoided in the future?

Modernizing the grid is a hard task as most cables are underground, accessible only to Enemalta once roads are revamped, giving employees access to the cables. Only in those situations can the cables can be upgraded to meet today’s and future needs. This lack of access to the cables is what has caused an aging infrastructure.

To soften the situation, preventive maintenance should take place in off peak seasons to avoid increasing electricity outages in summer when the consumer needs electricity the most.

Meanwhile, whilst electricity supply for now is sufficient for the total demand, we should be proactive, as we can already estimate that the future consumption will be decisively higher.

One of the largest concerns will be caused by the electrification of motor vehicles, which will further add to the stress on infrastructure.

The government is already planning another interconnector to cope with this increased demand and the higher volatility in electricity consumption throughout the day. Technically, this interconnector would not have solved this week’s problems, but it will contribute to increased supply diversification and grid resilience, as we would be better tied to the European smart grid.

#MaltaDaily

Local Marine Biologist Explains ‘Sea Slaters’

Jul 23 2023

Local marine biologist Alan Deidun shared a video to social media to continue his ongoing educational campaign when it comes to marine flora and fauna.

This time, he shared a video of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-them sea slaters, known in Maltese as ‘Dudu tas-Sajd’ (scientific name: Ligia italica).

The isopods ‘have disappeared from numerous coastlines in recent years, presumably due to pollution and urbanisation/development issues’, Deidun explained.

‘These critters are a favourite with anglers, who pluck them off the rock as bait on their hooks’, continued the marine biologist.

The sea slaters typically live in tidal zone cliffs and rocky beaches, but are there are many terrestrial species which occur in high-humidity environments.

#MaltaDaily