“At long last it appears that the government is making a reluctant U-turn on the energy policy and it is beginning to consider the tapping of renewable energy sources,” Alternattiva Demokratika’s Energy, Industry and IT spokesman, Ralph Cassar said.

He added, however, that statements in recently-published official documents, namely A proposal for an Energy Policy for Malta by the Malta Resources Authority (MRA) and A Draft Renewable Energy Policy for Malta, remain weak, without clear targets and without any short, medium or long term goals.

Mr Cassar said that it is clear that the mention of renewable energy in government documents has been rammed down the government’s throat by EU directives. Its reluctance and lack of enthusiasm for renewable energy is palpable, he said.

The MRA document also refers to Kyoto commitments regarding greenhouse gas emissions, but no reference is made to Malta through the Clean Development Mechanism which offers a source of revenue for renewable/energy-saving initiatives (infrastructural or otherwise), Mr Cassar said. The opportunity to benefit from this measure is available until 2012. “Is Malta going to miss out again due to lacking foresight?” Mr Cassar added.

The Green Party spokesman said that the document simply lists the applicable EU directives on air quality and only mentions that the government has negotiated transitional periods from a number of these directives. “Where are the plans for proposals to improve air quality?” Mr Cassar asked.

Energy efficiency is the key to the current fuel price explosion and AD expects the government to lead by example and to come up with a programme to implement energy efficiency programmes for buildings, together with incentives for consumers to purchase energy-efficient industrial and domestic equipment.

“This should have been the very first step to be implemented in any energy policy for Malta,” Ralph Cassar insisted. He added that the MRA document mentions the achievements in the energy sector, but reading through these so-called “achievements” simply shows that the government still has a very long way to go.

While utility bills continue to rise to the detriment of the economy, the government continues to take the issue lightly and chooses short-term solutions, the AD spokesman said. He added that the document lacks factual, tangible and measurable results and sometimes verges on propaganda and rhetoric.

“Water saving at the consumer end has not been tackled in the policy. Any measures to address domestic, industrial and commercial energy-saving should also address water-saving issues, since any water-savings reflect directly on energy-saving,” he stated.

Mr Cassar said that with regards energy efficiency in the transportation sector, the energy policy only goes into EU measures and not into the measures required to improve the situation in our unique, local context.

AD Chairperson Harry Vassallo said that it is not enough to point out the government’s disappointing failure in this sector, but “the Green party will present its own policy document on energy, giving realistic targets and framing programmes which can and must be achieved for Malta to address a looming energy and economic crisis, in part being caused by the government’s lack of vision”.