This GRTU “lashing out” is a remarkable omelette of fresh and rotten eggs. That should not detract from its merit in informing the public about these Delimara events, when the local councils involved and their representative on the Mepa monitoring committee seem to have fallen silent. Are the Mepa monitors registering any of these orange/yellow/black cloud emissions? If they are, how come nothing has been said in public? The fact is that reports of such emissions have been coming in regularly from people who live or work in Marsaxlokk.

Contrary to the GRTU contention, the testing period has NOT been extended to July 2013; only the emissions monitoring period has been.

The testing period is due to end at the start of July, when the extension is due to come on stream, assuming that all its systems are working properly of course. These multi-coloured clouds suggest that the chimney gas scrubbing systems may not be functioning properly. Until they do, the Extension cannot start up.

Again Mepa is not doing any testing as GRTU is asserting; neither is “a British University”. Both are engaged in reporting on the emission measurements being made − or supposedly being made − by Enemalta. With dust, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides removal systems in operation, there should not be any cloud of whatever colour or none coming out of the Extension chimneys. That is not to say there will be no measurable increase in air pollution, but simply that it would be limited and invisible. Just how limited is what all this monitoring is all about.

It’s a pity the GRTU did not give a date for its observation of the Yellow Cloud. The behaviour described, including the long “life” as a distinct entity, is certainly remarkable. As regards the use of HFO, there are at least two points to make. Enemalta never intended to use HFO just for testing. Its intention has always been to run the Extension on HFO, simply to keep generation costs as low as possible. But it should also be pointed out, for those with conveniently short memories, that when the local councils group asked for initial testing to be done with gasoil (diesel) rather than HFO, KPMG brought up the (technically illiterate) argument that use of gasoil for testing could put Enemalta in a difficult position if the use of such fuel resulted in breakdown in the desulphurising system, as the agreement with BWSC was to use HFO.

The fact is that HFO, with its high sulphur content, is much more likely to strain the desulphuriser than gasoil.

As for GRTU expecting “a suitable reply from the Office of the Prime Minister”, that’s like hoping to have a flying elephant.

E.A. Mallia

ATTARD