To loosely paraphrase Oscar Wilde, the odd power cut might be regarded as a misfortune, but to suffer so many looks like carelessness. A slow news season may have led to power cuts attracting more coverage than they normally would, but the spate of power cuts which have occurred over the past few weeks remains a cause for concern.

Obviously, a few unexpected power cuts occur despite Enemalta’s best efforts, due to matters outside its control. But when power cuts occur with such regularity, the odds suggest that something may be amiss.

Since these power cuts are occurring in summer – when electricity consumption is at its peak – electricity demand exceeding supply may be an obvious guess, but Enemalta has attributed the cuts which happened so far to other reasons. Faults in cables have been routinely blamed, with roadworks an aggravating factor in some cases.

But such an explanation does not necessarily excuse Enemalta, given the frequency of faults.

Excessive demand may have caused national blackouts when ageing boilers developed faults, but the extension in Delimara power station and the Malta-Sicily interconnector should soon put paid to such concerns for some time to come.

Nevertheless, having a strong distribution network is as crucial as ensuring adequate and reliable energy generation. Increasing electricity demand puts a greater strain on the network: One can only hope that the projects undertaken by Enemalta in recent years are sufficient to handle it.

Investment in the distribution network, however, has to be a continuous effort, since cables and other components age and need to be replaced from time to time. If old and worn-out cables have been at fault in recent power cuts, it would indicate that Enemalta’s long-term plans are in need of revision. Roadworks are sometimes cited as an aggravating factor, as was the case when a fault left STMicroelectronics without power for several hours.

If that is the case, however, there is clearly a need to improve coordination between Enemalta and the contractors carrying out roadworks. The alternative is far more wasteful: The power cut at ST is believed to have cost Malta’s leading exporter a considerable amount.

And waste is something Enemalta can ill-afford, given its unenviable financial situation. It operates at a loss, with debts amounting to around €600 million, and Standard and Poor’s recently downgraded its credit rating to vulnerable.

The financial situation will not help matters if any significant investment is needed to address energy supply woes: Raising the necessary capital alone could be a challenge. Since increasing revenue is not an easy option – higher rates would not exactly be popular – one can only hope that a measure of reliability has not been sacrificed to cut down costs somewhere down the line.

Power cuts have not only inconvenienced ST, but residents and businesses alike across the country, closing downs shops, spoiling refrigerated foods, making the heat unbearable and possibly leaving affected tourists with a poor impression of the country.

Their impact and the attention they attract only serve to show just how crucial electricity is. And since for the time being Enemalta is effectively controlling this strategic resource, an explanation of what it is doing to ensure power cuts are not a regular occurrence is very much warranted.