The Nationalist Party is challenging the government to publish all documentation related to the unprecedented €88 million state guarantee provided to ElectroGas Malta to enable it to obtain a loan.
In a motion presented by PN deputy leader Mario de Marco, shadow economy minister Claudio Grech and shadow energy minister Marthese Portelli, the party is also insisting that the government should publish every contract related to the construction of a new gas-fired power station at Delimara, with Dr de Marco highlighting that so far, the government has only published a memorandum of understanding.
The PN deputy leader stressed that the government had been elected after pledging accountability, and that the contract in question committed the country to acquire energy from ElectroGas for 18 years. As a result, he said, the public had the right to know what was signed.
Mr Grech, on his part, said that such projects should not be characterised by concealment, and observed that neither the opposition nor any other stakeholder was in any position to assess the controversial state guarantee.
Dr de Marco criticised the government for failing to declare it had agreed to such an unprecedented guarantee - the news was only revealed through the press - as well as for doing so before confirming that it would not fall foul of EU rules on state aid.
Whilst he emphasised that the PN wished that the project would succeed, he questioned whether the project would still be viable if the European Commission determined that the state guarantee constituted illegal state aid, stating that clearance should have been obtained before the agreement was signed.
"If the guarantee is called in, the bank will not be calling in ministers' salaries, but our taxes," he warned.
In its motion, the PN is also calling on Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi to provide a definite date of completion for the power station, whose original deadline was last March, and to provide a detailed account of how the reduction in energy bills - implemented in 2014 for households and this year for commercial accounts - is being financed, since the original estimates were based on the deadline being met.
Dr de Marco also questioned how utility bills would rise after the 5-year fixed price agreement elapses.
The motion was presented to Speaker Anġlu Farrugia, who emphasised that "scrutiny should be done transparently throughout."
Dr Farrugia also highlighted the importance of the motion, not least because it concerned energy.
Government insists PN 'bothered' by energy turnaround
In a reaction to the opposition motion, the Health and Energy Ministry insisted that the PN was still in denial about the results achieved in the energy sector, highlighting the situation it inherited and elaborating on what has been implemented so far, including the reduction in energy tariffs.
The ministry stressed that the guarantee was only a temporary measure, until the European Commission approved the security of supply agreement, pointing out that government support through the agreement was an intrinsic part of the competitive process which eventually saw the contract being awarded to ElectroGas.
It said that the temporary financing mechanism is being supported by government and by ElectroGas shareholders through a government guarantee and letters of credit respectively.
The guarantee, the ministry added, was issued in accordance with the Commission Notice on State Aid in the form of guarantees and was approved by the State Aid Monitoring Board.