Whether the latest protestations by the Opposition over plans for the new Delimara power station are merely yet another case or pure scaremongering or not remains to be seen.  It is also quite irrelevant at this stage as well - at least until the actual project to be selected is identified and until the proper studies that must be carried out on such a project are carried out.

The Opposition this week called for detailed risk assessment studies to be conducted on the project, and it is quite right in doing so.  It would be unfathomable that such studies are not carried out so as to ensure that that the correct, and fully informed, decision is taken when the time comes.  Those studies will, however, have to wait until the final project is selected out of the 11 companies vying for the contract. 

But the problem is that those studies will take no small amount of precious time, and the government’s apparently overriding concern is to have that power station up and running as quickly as possible, considering the fact that the Prime Minister himself has put his own future on the line should the project not be completed within the stipulated time frame, by March 2015, or should it fail to provide lower energy rates.

As such, it is the government’s stated intention to fast-track the future planning permit process, as well as the public procurement process, related to the new-and-improved Delimara power plant, without going through the proper channels at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

The government has made it clear that it could very well choose to circumvent standard planning processes and that at the end of the day it may be Cabinet itself, rather than Mepa, which may directly decide on the permit on the basis of the project being a national strategic development.

It is highly encouraging to hear that no less than 11 energy companies – including the likes of Shell, Edison and Gazprom – have been shortlisted for the new gas-fuelled Delimara power station. 

But as far as planning permissions is concerned, and all the checks and balances that come with that, there should be absolutely no divergence from the normal procedures.

Whatever the case and whatever the stature of the contract’s eventual winner, the laws and procedures of the land cannot be circumvented to suit a party’s electoral pledges.

The central issue here is that it is quite inconceivable that a project of such magnitude, of such potential hazard if not planned correctly and of such national importance will not be made to withstand the scrutiny of the country’s full planning processes.

One would be hard pressed to find any significant number of people against converting the power station from its current fuel, the highly controversial heavy fuel oil, controversial for good reason, to the far less polluting natural gas option.

But one must also take into serious consideration, far over and above the potential eyesore that could be created by having to store so much natural gas at or near the site, the potential risk posed to the neighbouring communities of Marsaxlokk and Birzebbuga.  This, however, can only be done properly through the kind of detailed risk assessment that the Opposition is calling for.

Mepa is currently formulating terms of reference for an Environmental Impact Statement for the project, and has invited the public to send in its comments on what they feel should be included in those terms of reference.  This is an issue that the entire country has a stake in and it is hoped that a good amount is public feedback is given before the 26 June deadline.

Yes, the government has a mandate, and a very strong one at that, to build a new gas-fired power station at Delimara, but that does not mean it has a carte blanche to circumvent planning procedures for the sake of political expediency.