Environment Minister George Pullicino yesterday told this newspaper that the much-maligned new Marsa abattoir is producing energy and it is viable.

Mr Pullicino said that the incinerator, which will be much more clean burning than the existing one at St Luke's Hospital, has successfully concluded a testing period to see if it can produce energy as a by-product after dry-burning.

Dry burning involves burning substances till they become ash and then re-burning the smoke and filtering it through special chemicals so as to create the cleanest possible by-product - steam.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority recently approved amendments to the development of the incinerator which will see much better utlilisation of the facility. The original plant was built at a cost of Lm3.5 million and the subsequent alteration cost Lm750,000.

The energy generated by the plant will ensure that the incinerator will be totally self- sufficient for power and would be the equivalent of powering some 130 households, Minister Pullicino told The Malta Independent