Infrastructure Minister Ninu Zammit is of the opinion that the Oil Age, like the Stone Age, will end before the world is drained of fossil fuels.

Speaking at the Intelligent Energy Europe information day, Mr Zammit said that a former Saudi oil minister once famously predicted that just as the Stone Age did not end for lack of stone, the Oil Age will end long before the world runs out of oil.

"I happen to be the minister responsible both for energy and stone-cutting and people might expect from me some kind of a knowledgeable opinion as to whether the Oil Age will go the way of the Stone Age," he said.

Mr Zammit continued: "I’m afraid I cannot offer any certainties on this one. Interestingly, Malta’s neolithic inhabitants, builders of some of the most impressive pre-historic structures in the world, disappeared without trace before they ran out of stone. Let’s just hope history does not repeat itself."

Mr Zammit said progress in reducing our dependence on fossil fuel has to come in little steps.

"We often tend to think that technological innovation – like artistic creation – comes about through an inspiration that is almost irrational as the proverbial light bulb which lights up right above the inventor’s head. Breakthroughs may make headlines but it’s hard work that makes breakthroughs," he said.

Mr Zammit said the government has been criticised domestically for being too timid in the report that was sent to the commission late last year on the potential for electricity from renewable energy sources in Malta.

"We had stated that our national indicative target for electricity from renewable sources for 2010 will be in the region of 0.31 per cent and 1.37 per cent. We have been criticised even when it is obvious that the government has every interest, and every wish, to see a greater take-up of these technologies. But we could only allow ourselves objectives and targets that were realistic and the contents of that report reflect those aspirations," said Mr Zammit.

Mr Zammit said the government wanted to facilitate the take-up of renewable energy technologies, to encourage initiatives on energy efficiency and to see particular attention being devoted to energy aspects of transport.

Mr Zammit said the government wanted to take the IEE programme seriously and that the government was looking into the possibility of offering financial support to those participating in the programme.

In the 2006 budget speech, a number of schemes were announced which were put into place earlier this year.

"Only residences are eligible to benefit from these schemes, but it is our intention to expand the eligibility base to include establishments which have legal personality. We believe that there is great potential here: the size of certain industrial and commercial establishments, for example, offers much scope for the take-up of renewable energy technology and initiatives in energy efficiency," he said.

Mr Zammit said the government intended to take a look at what other countries were doing to reap the maximum benefit from such a complementary way forward and this, obviously, within the context of the local physical and economic scenario.