Urgent Meeting Called To Address Power Cut Crisis

Jul 25 2023

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry has called for an urgent MCESD meeting, being ‘very worried about the current situation that the country is in, particularly, though not only, about the nationwide power outages experienced continuously over the past days which have left business and the general public in paralysis.’

‘In view of this, The Malta Chamber has asked the MCESD Chairperson to convene, with urgency, a meeting amongst all the stakeholders to discuss this situation collectively as a nation. This current state of play cannot persist and worst of all repeat itself – the right decisions and timely investment need to be taken now. This country needs to have a long term economic and social vision that goes beyond the political spectrum.’

‘In the past days, The Malta Chamber showed its concern and worries on the way the country is being led. This goes beyond the power cuts being experienced continuously. There is the urgent need to discuss the way crucial issues which effect the nation as a whole are being handled. This can only be achieved through a responsible dialogue with all social partners collectively. The business community is calling upon the government to act now before it is too late.’

Malta has entered its second week of power cuts as Enemalta continues to work to fix the faults forming in various localities as a scorching heatwave persists.

#MaltaDaily

Tech.mt and Chamber of Engineers Renew their Memorandum of Understanding

Jul 25 2023

The Chamber of Engineers (CoE) and Tech.mt Foundation signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which extend their collaboration agreement formally established in 2022.

This MoU envisages a collaboration between the two entities for the next three years which will see CoE and Tech.mt continuing their joint efforts to promote initiatives pertinent to the fields of engineering, technical professions, STEM education and relevant opportunities within the broad field of technology.

This MoU renews the synergistic relationship between Tech.mt, an entity created to promote the national strategy on innovative technology, and CoE, a voluntary professional organisation representing the engineers and the engineering profession. The CoE is also keen on promoting innovative technologies and on supporting technology-based industries in Malta, in which engineers play a pivotal role.

The signing took place between Inġ. Malcolm Zammit, President of the Chamber of Engineers and Mr Wayne Grixti, Chief Executive Officer of Tech.mt Foundation.

Mr Wayne Grixti, Chief Executive Officer at Tech.mt, said that: “Tech.mt remains resolute in its pursuit of one of its fundamental objectives—to foster seamless integration between academia and industry, thereby contributing to the increase of local tech resources and targeting the demand and supply gap of skilled professionals across various tech sectors. Through our strategic collaboration agreement with the Chamber of Engineers, Tech.mt remains dedicated to nurturing promising opportunities for students, graduates, and scholars. Moreover, this collaboration serves as a platform for Tech.mt to provide ongoing support to engineers in their quest to develop innovative technological solutions. We are thrilled to reaffirm our commitment through the renewal of our Memorandum of Understanding with the Chamber of Engineers, eagerly anticipating the continued fruits of our collaborative efforts

Inġ. Malcolm Zammit, President of the Chamber of Engineers, said that: “The foundations for the collaboration with Tech.mt were established based on the common missions of our organisation. The formalisation of the MoU allowed this collaboration to take a structured direction and which is now expected to continue flourishing. We feel that this collaboration with Tech.mt has been productive towards the promotion of technology and industry opportunities with a varied audience, from young students to established engineers. As a Chamber, we are looking forward to continue steering this collaboration forwards to present our members with more opportunities in the technology sector whilst we collectively work on highlighting that STEM professionals are vital for the economy.”

Founded between the Government of Malta and the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry to promote the National Strategy on Tech and Innovation, Tech.mt aims to continue fulfilling its mandate through such agreements, that is to actively position Malta as a tech hub of choice on both a quality and creative level, but also to ensure that the local STEM curricula can be improved and presented in a more attractive way to increase the number of students choosing them as a basis for their career in technology and thus, satisfy industry demands.

The Chamber of Engineers is a voluntary organisation representing Engineers in Malta and caters for the safeguarding and advancement of the engineering profession. The CoE provides a voice to engineers through various representations and is an affiliated member of ENGINEERS EUROPE.

The CoE works towards the continuing development of its members and the profession through various initiatives including networking, training, events and other professional development opportunities.

#MaltaDaily

First-Time Buyers Rejoice as €1,000-a-Year Scheme Extended Until September

Jul 25 2023

To support first-time buyers, the Minister for Social and Affordable Accommodation, Roderick Galdes, has announced a thrilling extension to the highly popular €1,000-a-year scheme.

Over 2,700 ecstatic first-time homeowners, who purchased their properties in 2022, have already received the first instalment, and now, thousands more stand to gain.

Since its inception, this scheme has captured the hearts of many aspiring homeowners, who finally saw their dreams of buying a house come true. A hefty €27 million investment is lined up over the next decade, to transform the lives of those who dared to take the leap into homeownership.

Late applicants and those who missed the opportunity to apply under other schemes are in for a treat, as the extension will run until the end of September.

So if you bought your first property in 2022 and haven’t applied yet, now is the time to seize the opportunity.

Minister Galdes stated that this scheme was a fundamental promise of the PL manifesto and a testament to the government’s dedication to rewarding courage and empowering first-time buyers.

More info here: https://bit.ly/SkemaFirstTimeBuyers

#MaltaDaily

No Water After Naxxar And Siġġiewi Stations Go Offline

Jul 25 2023

On Monday night, two crucial water boosting stations located in Naxxar and Siġġiewi suffered power cuts, resulting in a water outage for residents and businesses in several areas.

The localities affected included Għargħur, Naxxar, Iklin, Swieqi, Madliena, Mosta, San Ġwann, and Siġġiewi. The taps ran dry around 9 pm on Monday, and by 10:30 am on Tuesday, many homes were still awaiting the restoration of their water supply.

According to a Water Services Corporation spokesperson, the water supply was disrupted due to electricity shortages experienced at the boosting stations in Naxxar and the limits of Siġġiewi at San Niklaw.

These boosting stations are vital as they utilize electricity to increase water pressure and flow in elevated regions. The Naxxar boosting station went offline at approximately 9:30 pm on Monday and was not restored until 8 am on Tuesday.

Similarly, the San Niklaw station experienced a power shortage at 5 am on Tuesday and regained power at 9:30 am. As of 10:30 am, the water supply was slowly being restored, and the spokesperson estimated that it would take around two to three hours to fully reinstate the service.

Fortunately, the reverse osmosis plants in Għar Lapsi and the limits of Siġġiewi, as well as Pembroke, remained unaffected and continued to function properly.

This incident occurred amidst an ongoing heatwave, leading to an increased demand for electricity. On Monday, Enemalta reported a record demand of 649MW for electricity due to the scorching temperatures prevailing in Malta for a week now.

This water outage marks the eighth consecutive night of power outages reported in various areas, further exacerbating the challenges faced during this heatwave.

#MaltaDaily