The government made the right choice when it took up the €320 million investment opportunity by Shanghai Electric power even if that meant delaying the power station project, Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi said this morning.

Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Playmobil Hal Far plant, Mr Mizzi denied that he had ever promised to resign if the new gas-fired power station was not completed on time.

When asked when the timelines for the completion of the project would be announced, Mr Mizzi said they will be published in the coming days. "We will soon publish the power station milestones and the completion date will be included." The most important milestone, he said, will be the reduction of energy bills for industry.

The Energy Minister said he had never talked about resigning. "Far from it, this is an issue of responsible choices. We had two choices: we could have built the power station in 18 months and we also had the option to take up a very good opportunity by SEP, which will be investing €320 million in the power station. This sum will not only address Enemalta's past but also its sustainable future."

In what was the first admission by the Minister that Labour's plan to finance the massive project changed along the way to incorporate the SEP deal, Mr Mizzi insisted that the government "took a responsible choice" to delay the project in order to close the deal with Shanghai Electric Power. "We said let's pause for a bit, close the deal with SEP and integrate all three components to ensure security of supply and the best price for electricity generation. In my opinion we made a responsible choice. I am ready to take the political flak but I think we have done the right thing."