So it's official as per Konrad Mizzi, there will not be a new power station by March 2015. I cannot resist the urge to underline that when they came out with this bizarre idea of building a new power station via a "desktop presentation," most logical and sensible people asked, "do we need it?" and "Is it possible to build a power station within 2 years from March 2013?"
And when these normal and sensible people raised these very legitimate questions, there was Dr Mizzi gesticulating in front of the cameras telling us that of course it was possible and of course it will be done and everything would be "fast tracked". Surely we haven't forgotten that. Some would say it was nonsense. Actually it's worse than nonsense; it was one big fabricated story aimed solely at buying peoples votes and it succeeded. It also succeeded because the Labour Party in opposition pulled every stunt, including convincing the population that the BWSC plant was a cancer factory and that it would like a knight in shining armour be coming to their rescue. Numerous oncologists came forth and said that what the PL was saying was not true, but did the general population believe the cancer specialists? No, they believed Joseph Muscat when he said that the BWSC plant was a cancer factory and that he would stop using HFO, close it down immediately and that he would be building a new power plant which ran on LNG by March 2015 otherwise he would resign.
And of course following the election and the desk top presentation, we were then informed, "And oh, by the way, the liquefied natural gas will not be stored in two 40,000 cubic meter tanks on land as we said, but will be stored in a 136,000 cubic meter vessel which will be moored permanently in the middle of Marsaxlokk Bay." To my utter amazement (not as the president of the executive committee of the Nationalist party, but as someone who has been part of the maritime sector for 28 years) the application for the positioning of a 136,000 cubic meter LNG floating storage unit in the middle of Marsaxlokk Bay was approved unanimously bar two votes without the applicants having conducted a maritime impact assessment and this in breach of every single guideline published on this delicate subject. Months later I now repeat what I said several times then, that it is hugely irresponsible for such a permit to have been issued without such an assessment given that the port of Marsaxlokk sees thousands of moves per annum, is full of other very important commercial activity including the Malta Freeport whose vessels require a very substantial turning circle for appropriate manoevering in and out of the berths, which harbour has numerous bunkering activities, fish farms, and a thriving fishing community plus of course the effect of what can be a very severe south easterly wind and sea which when it does hit, destroys everything in sight.
When I attended the MEPA hearing and made these points which are not rocket science but common sense, we were informed that the permit will be issued regardless, but the maritime impact assessment would be done prior to works. Quite apart from the fact that this simply makes no sense at all, I now ask, has it been done and if it has been done where is it and what does it say? I suspect it will say that containership traffic in and out of the harbour will have to be suspended at certain times and furthermore it will say that the safety of the vessel and consequently the entire project may be very seriously compromised in the event of a strong south easterly storm given the fact that the harbour is totally exposed to such winds and seas. Which is why most sensible people suggested to government that if they wanted to go ahead with this unnecessary venture, then they should get the ship out and go for a floating storage regasification unit outside the harbour. Now that they are not going to get this done by March 2015 they have plenty of time to lay an underwater pipeline from a floating storage regasification unit out at sea to the terminal on land. What is keeping them from doing that now? Well at least not yet!
Why "not yet?" That is because government has already moved its goal posts substantially. First they were going to have the LNG stored on land, now its at sea in the middle of the bay, now they are not going to build the power station within the promised two years on pain of resignation and yet the electricity bills will still be reduced. Why and how? Because they are still using the BWSC plant - it is not a cancer factory after all - which is as had been anticipated by the Nationalist government, far less costly and it is currently saving euro 1million per week. Soone certainly hopes that this saving will be enjoyed by the public and businesses. Furthermore the interconnector which should have been operational already would also give ample opportunity for reductions also as foretold and foreseen by the Nationalists when in Government. So I ask, if the BWSC which now is clearly no longer a cancer factory and capable of earning a sale price of 150 million to boot, and is economical to run as predicted, plus the interconnector, why go ahead with the new power station at all? It was never needed in the first place! But then Joseph Muscat managed to buy quite a few votes with this unique and very successful PR exercise and he did promise the electorate a spanking new power station by March 2015 running on LNG failing which he would resign. The majority of the voting population believed him. Where to now Dr Muscat?
Dr Ann Fenech is the President of the PN Executive