Concrete Climate And Energy Grid Action? Malta Doubles Electricity Distribution Investment
Following the power cut fiascos from recent weeks, Prime Minister Robert Abela told a meeting of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development that the state has doubled its investment in the system of electricity distribution.
This will be one prong in the government’s approach toward confronting climate change through a thorough economic transition.
“This is a transition which needs to be based on ensuring quality, encouraged by a society with respect for one-another acting in a disciplined manner,” said Abela, while remarking that we must always strive towards a higher standard of living.
This MCESD meeting was convened after Abela responded to his government’s catastrophically lacking preparedness for hot weather in summer in Malta, during a global climate crisis, by realising that action needed to be taken.
In some ways, Abela’s statements about holding Maltese infrastructure to higher standards echoed the aspirations of European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who has been highly critical of his government’s, “amateurism”.
Abela explained that Malta has already been implementing a plan to invest €15 million to upgrade the electricity distribution system, but the reality of the changing climate requires even more, which is why the government will now be investing €30 million towards this cause.
Robert Abela told the MCESD that in alignment with advice from Enemalta technicians Malta needs to build new centres for electricity distribution and grow others so that the country can benefit from having more new substations – adding kilometres of cables for a more robust system.
€40 million worth of funds towards this goal are from European funds such as the BREXIT Adjustment Reserve, offering specifically allocated capital in a section called RePower EU.
He claimed that Malta’s plan had already been considered the most environmentally friendly in the EU – and it has now pledged an investment of €330 million towards its energy goals.
The PM cited concrete actions intended to confront a changing climate, amongst which will be further investments in renewable energies, incentives for public and private buildings to embrace those energies, and a grid capable of properly supporting their use.
Abela explained that his government has been and will remain sensitive to the population’s challenges, and announced that research into how a compensation scheme for people affected by prolonged power outages can best be implemented to help as many of those in need as possible.
What do you make of Abela’s statements?
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