The largest photovoltaic plant that has ever been installed in Malta is expected to generate enough energy to power 2,200 houses.

On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Robert Abela inaugurated a solar power plant that can be found on the outskirts of Mġarr – a collaborative initiative between Solar Solutions, PX Letting and AX Group.

The plant was developed under the remit of Imsielet Solar Ltd and it has been set up on top of quarry which was previously used to extract materials and later as a resource landfill.

The quarry belongs to PX Lettings Paul Xuereb and his brother AX Group Angelo Xuereb, and is around 90,000 square meters in size.

Imsiliet Solar Director David Zammit explained that, for this project, only 50,000 square metres are being used so that the rest of the land can be used to plant trees and integrate the panels into the environment. This is being done to ensure that all the grandiose amount of solar panels that have been installed, 16,896 in total, are not an eyesore for the beauty of Mġarr.

This amount of solar panels is expected to generate 8.6 million units energy per year, equivalent to 2,200 houses in Malta and Gozo.

Prime Minister Abela said that this project makes him very proud of the business community in Malta which is full of negotiators who are willing to do their part for the economy as well as the environment.

He believes that this plant is a perfect example of the government’s vision for sustainable energy since, thanks to the rehabilitation of this quarry, there will be a reduction of emissions resulting in cleaner air as well.

He estimated that the carbon levels in the air should reduce by 4,000 tonnes each year.

Photos: Alenka Falzon