Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi has finally admitted that the Delimara gas-fired power station will NOT be completed by the March 2015 deadline. The admission comes after a series of investigative stories by The Malta Independent and The Malta Independent on Sunday and after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat insisted with this paper on Friday that he was not admitting a delay in the project.

Dr Mizzi told The Times and Maltatoday that a new completion date will be announced towards November. In a telephone interview from Beijing, where he is meeting officials from Shanghai Electric Power, Mr Mizzi said works on the plant were being "held up by three-way talks between Enemalta, ElectroGas and Shanghai Electric in relation to the way the new gas power station will interface with the BWSC plant." SEP will buy 33% of Enemalta but will have a controlling 70 per cent of the BWSC plant, which it will convert to gas, through new investment.

"We will be reducing water and electricity bills for businesses by March 2015 because Enemalta is in a very good position to do it," he told The Times.

Mr Mizzi's comments to The Times and Maltatoday follow his and his staff's consistent refusals to answer questions sent by The Malta Independent on Sunday. The Energy Ministry has also not reacted to our stories, which revealed that, until a few days ago no works were being carried out at the Delimara site.

On Sunday 28 September The Malta Independent on Sunday revealed photos and video of the site, after having visited it by boat. At the time no works were being carried out. A week later, the paper quoted a Siemens official saying that the German firm, which is one of the four ElectroGas partners, still has to invest in the project. TMI also revealed how Siemens brochures boast that gas-plants can be constructed in "as little as 20 to 24 months."

Then, earlier this week, The Malta Independent revealed that some "preparatory works" had started at the site and published photos of diggers removing earth in the area where the re-gasification unit ought to be located.

This paper sent several questions to the Energy Ministry and demanded explanations. We repeatedly asked Konrad Mizzi whether the project could be completed on time, given that works had not started six months before the deadline. Our questions were ignored.

On Friday, this paper asked Prime Minister Joseph Muscat whether the power station would be completed on time. In his reply, Dr Muscat said the government's energy plan did not rely exclusively on the completion of the plant by the March 2015 deadline.

When asked if this was an admission was not on track, the PM said it was not, and insisted that utility bills for industry will still be decreased by March.

Dr Muscat's reply to The Malta Independent was carried as a headline by all sections of the media.