The Nationalist Party today said that they will be the ones defending the rights of the Maltese people in front of the EU institutions who are investigating the government's actions, "especially in relation to the weight the €360 million guarantee has placed on the population's shoulders to build the power station from a private investor".

PN MEP Roberta Metsola explained that the European Commission must investigate the Electrogas power station from two angles. The first, she said, regards the process that resulted in the granting of the contract and how it changed over the past two years. The second is how the government can tie itself to purchase energy from Electrogas even though it can be bought at a cheaper price through the interconnector.

She said that the EU must investigate whether the contract government wants to sign with Electrogas breaks EU agreements regarding public procurement and state aid.

Dr Metsola argued that the other companies who had applied through the request for proposals had not known of the guarantee. 

PN MP Marthese Portelli said that the Prime Minister's decision to grant this guarantee is irresponsible, "built on the PM's egoism, whose only interest is the construction of the power station, not because there is need for one, but rather because if it is not constructed, he would have to resign".

Marthese Portelli said that the energy roadmap "that the Prime Minister and Energy Minister boasted about prior to the election, has been thrown to the wind and is now a weight on Malta's finances"

She said that it has become clear the reduction in energy tariffs is due to the work by the previous administration and the interconnector.

She said that the Prime Minister had made two promises, firstly that he would resign if the power station is not constructed within two years, and secondly that an investor would be found. "It is clear that Joseph Muscat has failed on both these accounts," she said.

Answering questions posed by this newsroom regarding Energy Minister's statement regarding Vault Finance and the €320 million guarantee given by the previous administration, PN MP Portelli said that the previous guarantees were given from government to government not from government to the private sector," she said.

"When an investor is normally found, that investor would complete the project from A to Z and then reap the returns over the years. Government is tying down €360 million so the private investor can construct the project,"  Dr Portelli added.

In reply, the Labour Party said that the Opposition is against all investment and is boasting of being negative.

Today's press conference was the fifth attempt made by the PN to stop the power station project. First they sent questions to the EC on the tender process, then they contested the project basing their arguments on environmental issues, later they said that goveernment had gone against the Seveso directive and finally also collected signatures against the installation of a tanker at Marsaxlokk Bay.

The PN was wrong on all counts, the PL said.