The government is “still exploring possibilities and cannot as yet commit itself” regarding the purchase of green energy from third countries, following the forecast that Malta will reach 9.2 per cent of its 10 per cent mandatory renewable energy target by 2020, according to Resources and Rural Affairs Ministry spokesmen.

A Malta Resources Authority report issued on 14 January said Malta will only reach 9.2 per cent of its mandatory 10 per cent target, but stressed that the forecast was based on an “optimistic scenario” of the developing state of affairs over the coming decade.

As yet, Malta has no major alternative energy source running. The projections supplied are “built on planned major developments and estimated uptake of RES technologies” that are “subject to risks and constraints which may be higher than anticipated following further studies yet to be commissioned”.

Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and Denmark have also forecast they will not reach their targets and need to buy green energy from other countries. Italy has announced that it was considering Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, Switzerland and Tunisia to help address its green energy deficit.

Nonetheless, the Maltese government spokesmen said: “We are not saying Malta will not reach its targets but we are very limited in the kind of projects that can be carried out.” They added that Malta could buy its green credits from other countries (as Italy was doing), but these prospects were also limited “because most other countries were struggling to reach their targets”.

Malta was therefore considering the possibility of participating in joint projects with other EU countries.

Malta’s plan was to have alternative energy generated from a combination of sources, including wind, sun and waste. Wind energy produced by means of the three proposed wind farms (two of which are still subject to environmental studies), accounted for some four to five per cent of the country’s target. Another two to three per cent of clean energy was to be produced from waste, while the rest (some two per cent) was to be produced from solar energy.

The Sant’ Antnin Waste treatment plant would start generating energy in the coming months, the spokesmen said.

An expression of interest for the supply of photovoltaic panels covering close to 70,000 square metres of roof space has been issued and 15 companies have expressed interest. In addition, the Malta Resources Authority (MRA) was encouraging the use of domestic solar water heaters and other solar energy systems, while Malta Enterprise was making available to companies schemes for the installation of PV panels.

There are still several question marks surrounding the wind farm proposals, and while the MRA foresees no major problems with the Hal Far onshore wind farm option, since it is located within an industrial zone, environmental concerns over the Wied Rini wind farm in Bahrija and the offshore site at Sikka l- Bajda (near Mellieha) “need to be assessed”.

Another proposal – for geo-thermal energy options – still had to be assessed, the Ministry spokespersons said. Energy could also be transferred by means of the interconnector between Malta and Sicily.

Feeling that the Ministry was being somewhat ambitious and over-optimistic, The Malta Independent on Sunday pointed out that hefty penalties would result, if the targets were not reached.

The spokesmen, however, explained that the European Commission would have to prove that Malta had not done everything possible to ensure it reached its targets, and gave an assurance that it was, in fact, doing its utmost to see that it did.

They added that all predictions are based on estimates and there was a factor of error in all estimates. The believed, therefore, that predictions were bound to change, and nothing much could be done, apart from having the entire possible infrastructure in place.