Today’s parliamentary sitting has been devoted to a general discussion on the environmental permit for the new power station at Delimara, a day after Speaker Anglu Farrugia ruled that the Environment and Planning Committee was not empowered to discuss the issue.

Opposition MPs within the committee had requested a discussion on the environmental impact assessment of the new gas-powered plant which is set to be built by the ElectroGas Malta consortium, and their request was supported by committee chairman Marlene Farrugia.

But Ms Farrugia stressed that she could only act upon a written ruling by the Speaker, who ruled that the committee should not and could not discuss the issue once the House Business Committee decided to hold discussion at a plenary stage.

The debate, which is scheduled to last for three hours, has been opened by Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi, who insisted that the Nationalist Party’s criticism of plans to store liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a tanker in Marsaxlokk Bay was not credible.

He said that despite the PN’s scaremongering, the government gave the highest priority to the health and safety of nearby residents, and said that its proposal to keep the tanker offshore was actually more dangerous. He said that the site suggested by the PN saw heavy maritime traffic, including vessels proceeding at a considerable speed, adding that it was far easier to control maritime activity in Marsaxlokk Bay.

However, the minister also dismissed the PN’s claims that maritime activity at the bay would be affected by the tanker, stating that such activity would not even be affected on the occasions where it is resupplied with LNG.

Dr Mizzi insisted that the PN sought to stop the present government accomplishing what it had failed to do when in government – reduce emissions from electricity generation and lower electricity bills by a quarter.

Opposition deputy leader Mario de Marco then said that the PN was not simply speaking on its own, but reflecting the concerns raised by others. He said that if the government was accusing the opposition of being negative and destructive, it was also tarring, by association, residents of the area, the National Fishing Cooperative, Alternattiva Demokratika and Din l-Art Helwa, who raised similar concerns.

Dr de Marco insisted that the reduction in bills that is taking place this year is not due to the project, but due to other factors, including increased efficiency at Enemalta, the interconnector project and the partial privatisation of the corporation.

He said that the rush in completing the new power plant was not tied to lowering bills, but due to strict timeframes the government imposed on itself because it turned a capital project into a major political issue, an action which, he said, was a grave political error.

Dr de Marco said that the government’s plans to moor an LNG tanker next to the power station raised a number of concerns, pointing out that whenever strong winds lashed the bay, four tugboats were needed to keep ships of a similar size in place at the nearby Freeport.

He said that he welcomed the government’s acceptance that a gas pipeline was the ultimate solution, but said that until this pipeline was set up, caution suggested that the best way forward would be an offshore floating storage and regasification unit.

He concluded by appealing to the government not to rush the project through, and to refrain from submitting an application at MEPA next week.

This article will be updated as the sitting unfolds