During the Labour Party mass meeting in Gozo, Joseph Muscat drew himself up to his full height and dramatically recounted how a grandmother he spoke to in Marsaxlokk told him that eight of her nine grandchildren suffered from asthma, while a number of her relatives had succumbed to cancer over the years. He said that her story made him promise to himself that under his watch oil-fired plants − which he described as “asthma and cancer factories” − would be closed down.

Dr Muscat is proposing to convert the existing power station to natural gas and to build a second power station also powered with natural gas next to it. Natural gas is a hydrocarbon fuel and all hydrocarbon fuels emit CO2 when burnt. Natural gas is less noxious than fuel oil. It emits 73 per cent of the CO2 emitted by fuel oil; however it still emits a lot of CO2 that has to be captured and stored.

I really do not think Joseph Muscat is doing the residents of Marsaxlokk, Birzebbuga and nearby localities any favours by building a second power station in Delimara.

Alfred Formosa

SLIEMA