An Enemalta spokesman said this afternoon that power has been fully restored to all localities following yesterday's nationwide power cut. Only parts of Paola are currently without power, but this is the result of an unrelated cable fault in the area.

Earlier today, Enemalta CEO Frederick Azzopardi said Enemalta was hoping to restore power completely by noon. Mr Azzopardi told a press conference this morning that a fault in underground cable near the Coca Cola plant had led to a fire and a subsequent explosion at the nearby Marsa distribution centre, known as Marsa South. The tarmac above the cable had been lifted up.

Repairs on the damaged cable in Marsa. The tarmac above the cable was cracked.

Mr Azzopardi said damage inside the distribution centre, which is used to feed power to many localities, including Valletta and Birzebbugia, were extensive but have yet to be quantified. A magisterial inquiry and an internal investigation are underway.

The Delimara power station automatically shut down as a safety precaution, but left the whole nation in the dark.

Firemen, policemen and Enemalta employees tackled the blaze for more than three hours before it was brought under control.

Mr Azzopardi said that, since this was not an electricity generation problem, power was being restored to a number of localities, starting with Marsascala, soon after the first powercut. The Delimara plant, however, tripped for a second time. Many southern localities had their power restored by 11.30pm.

The Marsa Distribution Centre where equipment caught fire and exploded. 

Parts of four localities – Luqa, Qormi, Marsa and Zebbug – were still without power this morning and Enemalta hoped to restore power by noon. “Enemalta workers are currently cleaning up the damage caused by the explosion and fire and the equipment that is still operational will be brought back online. Power is also being rerouted from other distribution centres.”

The Enemalta CEO apologised to the public on behalf of the corporation and thanked its employees, some of whom had returned to work on the damages soon after returning home after a day’s work.

When asked if the power cut was a result of a surge in demand for electricity, Mr Azzopardi said at the time Enemalta had a 60MW reserve. Besides, Enemalta did not observe any surge in demand. The most probable cause of the problem was a faulty cable.

Mr Azzopardi was also asked why the airport was left without power (and had to divert flights.) “It seems that the airport had some trouble with its own generators but from our end the airport, as well as Mater Dei hospital, was treated as a priority.”

The Enemalta CEO also noted that the corporation will benefit from significant investment next year and announced that four new distribution centres will be built in Xewkija, St Andrews, Manoel Island and Marsa (north.)