Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this morning said that he will not be resigning, despite the power station not being built within the timeframes promised prior to the election.

Asked by the media, Dr Muscat said that he never promised to resign if the power station is not built on time, but rather, if utility bills are not reduced.

However, during an edition of the PBS programme Dissett last March, to a question by Reno Bugeja, the PM had specifically said that he would resign if the power station was not completed on time.

For the past month, this newspaper repeatedly questioned the government on developments of the powerstation, however all questions were left unanswered. In July, Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi insisted that the project was on track, and deadlines will be met. However, pressed by the media last week, the Prime Minister confirmed that the new gas-fired power station will not be ready by March.

In an interview published in The Malta Independent on Sunday, Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil said that both the Prime Minister and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi should 'man up' and resign. “Gentlemanliness, which is the basic principle every man should have, requires that they keep their promise and resign. We will now see whether our Prime Minister has that basic principle," Dr Busuttil said.

Turning to other matters, Dr Muscat warned that the government and Enemalta will clamp down on electricity theft if tenants do not regularize their position within a month. He said that it is unacceptable that boathouse owners have not paid electricity for years, without the authorities doing anything about it.