The scheme to finance double glazing for Birzebbuga residents will not be a direct order, to any one supplier, but will be a rebate with eligible products having to be approved by the Regulator for Energy and Water Services (REWS), the Ministry for Tourism said.
A list of the registered retailers and qualified models eligible for this scheme can be found on the REWS website and is attached at the bottom of this article.
Earlier in September, Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi launched the first phase of the scheme to assist in noise problems for residents living in the Freeport area and noted that it will launch in October.
The Ministry has now confirmed the first phase application will open online on the REWS website in mid-November.
For the first phase of this scheme €300,000 has been allocated, with residents who live in around 40 roads being eligible for the scheme. These streets were chosen after a study commissioned by an independent company, and after consultation with the local council and focus groups. When asked for a copy of these studies, the Ministry did not reply.
Residents can apply for up to 90 percent rebate on their investment in double-glazing windows and it is envisaged that some 150 households are going to benefit from phase one of the scheme.
Mizzi also said that this is one of the initiatives that is going to take place after just a few months ago a skate park was inaugurated in the area. Other measures that reduce the noise from local commerce, including new high-tech state-of-the-art cranes at the Malta Freeport Terminal were carried out.
He noted the switch to a gas-fired power station and the de-commissioning of fuel storage tanks in the locality had helped to reduce air pollution. Once the refurbishment of Ħas-Saptan has been completed, the old fuel storage tanks there would also be decommissioned, the minister continued.
Plans are also in the pipeline for a new garden by the Freeport, which the minister described as a natural boundary between the Freeport and residents. A new car park will also be built. Mizzi said a new promenade would prove to be the envy of Malta.
Eligible products can be found in the following link: http://downloads.rews.org.mt/files/63ea516c-da31-4b38-abb3-c4227fe77e4e_73c282d4-2a86-4e5b-9016-1256f47000c9.pdf