Offshore Wind And Solar Farms Incoming? Malta Announces International Public Call For Renewable Energy
A meeting of the applicants seeking to join the Youth Advisory Forum with Prime Minister Robert Abela has revealed that alternative and renewable energies are being considered for implementation in Malta.
“The desire to see Malta moving forwards brings us together,” said the Maltese Prime Minister.
“With our country’s aim to keep diversifying its sources of energy, to ensure we have cleaner air while reaching the EU’s targets on clean energy, we must issue an international public call for wind turbines and solar panels to be installed on the sea surface.”
Abela and the young people – between 16 and 35-years-old – in attendance discussed a range of pressing concerns which are important to many of Malta’s residents, such as renewable energy, the environment, women in politics, planning, tourism, mental health, gender equality, artificial intelligence and civil rights.
Whilst addressing alternative energies, Abela announced his government’s intent to launch solar panels and wind turbines offshore.
He stressed that next week, when Parliament will discuss plans to move forward with this plan, they will “establish areas that form the Exclusive Economic Zones”.
These areas will be outside of Malta’s territorial waters, but fall within the country’s jurisdiction.
This preliminary meeting between Abela and some of Malta’s young people is a precursor to the Youth Advisory Forum.
Those in attendance at this meeting were some of the applicants who have put their names forward thus far, and they will eventually be narrowed down to eight by a selection committee – along with the National Youth Council.
The YAF will then have regular meetings with the Prime Minister, through which they have been promised the opportunity to give guidance to the PM – while exerting a degree of influence over the ways in which Malta is run.
According to Abela, Parliamentary discussion next week should reveal more about the government’s plans to pursue the implementation of offshore wind turbines and solar panels.
These talks should include more details about how this project will be funded, and about the environmental safeguards which will be in place to ensure that building this energy infrastructure does not do more damage than harm.
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