The Auditor General’s report on Enemalta’s Distribution Network is crystal clear. The failure of Enemalta’s Distribution Network during the summer of 2023 is the result of a lack of planning and underfunding, that is, a lack of investment in the network over the years. The Auditor General’s report published earlier this week is the result of a request made by ADPD-The Green Party last year in order to investigate the repeated power failures during the summer months of 2023.

Enemalta’s failures in summer of 2023 are still with us today. As I write this opinion various localities in Malta and Gozo are without a supply of electricity.

This lack of access to electricity has a direct bearing on our quality of life. In some cases, it is crucial as it may signify that equipment which needs to be operated in our homes cannot function. At times it can be a matter of life and death. Especially in the case of vulnerable persons. In fact, we were recently informed that it is estimated that last year’s power cuts contributed to 80 additional deaths during the 2023 heat wave.

Enemalta’s failures are Miriam Dalli’s political responsibilities which she repeatedly fails to shoulder as the minister responsible for energy.

The Auditor General’s investigation identified that the faults in the distribution network were widespread. They were not the result of a single or limited points of failure of the network. This signifies that the failure of the distribution network is a systemic failure, and not an isolated accident.

The Auditor General’s report acknowledges that we are living in challenging times which are not made easier by climate change. Peak temperatures and the associated peak energy demands are a present-day reality.

Notwithstanding, Enemalta failed to plan for this reality. This failure to plan was accentuated by a lack of investment in the development of the distribution network … until last summer. In summer 2023 Enemalta panicked and embarked on large scale investment, as a result replacing kilometres of faulty cables around the islands. Cables which should have been replaced much earlier!

However, this summer, specifically in the past days, we are witnessing a repetition of last year’s failures of the energy distribution network. It is clear that the kilometres of faulty cables already replaced are not enough. Much more investment is required to make up for the neglect, lack of planning and substantial lack of investment in the distribution network over many years.

In these circumstances a decent Energy Minister would face her political responsibilities and resign. She now has to answer not for one summer of energy blackouts but for two consecutive ones. More than enough reason to resign. But she will not resign, as she has no idea as to what political responsibility is all about.

The Auditor General’s report brings to the fore another very important issue. Chapter 545 of the Laws of Malta, entitled Regulator for Energy and Water and Services Act, sets up the office of Regulator for Energy and Water Services, hived off from the previous Resources Authority.

The Regulator for Energy and Water Services (REWS), in terms of the law setting up his office, has the function of protecting consumers and in particular “to regulate, monitor and keep under review all practices, operations and activities relating to energy and water services and resources”. Judging by the results obtained, apparently, the Regulator was fast asleep for a number of years as he has permitted Enemalta to operate without taking due care of its customers, ensuring the adequate supply of electricity. The lack of investment coupled with the lack of planning at Enemalta is not only a certificate of the gross incompetence of Enemalta, it is also a clear declaration of the failure of the regulator to regulate. The regulator is practically absent and has been so for a long time.

Who shall shoulder accountability for this mess? Miriam Dalli should be the first to resign. She should be followed immediately by all the political appointees and persons of trust at Enemalta and REWS.

We have let the institutions work. They failed us once more. They were absent when most needed.

An architect and civil engineer, the author is a former Chairperson of ADPD-The Green Party in Malta.  [email protected] ,   http://carmelcacopardo.wordpress.com