The Nationalist Party's pre-general election night tariff proposal which had seen the then PL in opposition poke fun will now be considered for implementation by a Labour government.
The PN at the time had used the idea to counter the new power station plan proposed by Labour, saying there was no need for a new plant. While the PL's plan to have a new power station up and running in 24 months, by their own admission, will not materialise on time, the Labour government is considering a number of projects to try and ease the current tariff situation. And the introduction of night rates, the subject of ridicule from Labour officials pre-March 2013, is one of them.
In an interview with Charlon Gouder on One TV yesterday, Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi highlighted the government's plan in the sector, saying that night tariffs already exist for large consumers (big factories) and the government can consider using night tariffs for other areas of society.
"Once we have the whole smart meter programme rolled out, we wish to consider them. This could indeed lead to further efficiency. The first step is to reduce tariffs, the second step is to implement technology and stabilise it and then, once we can implement night tariffs, we will".
Before the election, the PN had proposed that families enjoy special night tariffs if they used their appliances during certain hours of the night and early hours of the morning.
Joseph Muscat, during the election campaign, had joked that families would need to be given alarm clocks to wake up in the middle of the night to use their appliances.
"Parents, he said, were unlikely to allow their children to watch television after 10pm in order to save on electricity," Dr Muscat had said during an interview by then TV presenter Miriam Dalli.
Until last November, Dr Mizzi had shown little inclination towards introducing night tariffs, once again criticising the Nationalist Party for pledging to introduce them in spite of an audit firm's warning they might not be feasible between 10pm and midnight.
Dr Mizzi had described the night tariff proposal as a knee-jerk reaction by a "panic-stricken" PN-led administration which "had been totally surprised by Labour's credible plan to reduce utility tariffs by an average 25 per cent".