Many still recall the dreadful summer last year when power cuts plagued Malta and Gozo for 11 days, most of which occurred during a heatwave that saw temperatures rising above 40°C. 

At an urgent meeting held on 29 July 2023, Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) chair David Xuereb had said people around the meeting table emerged relatively pleased. Prime Minister Robert Abela had pledged to invest €30 million a year in upgrading the national grid, up from the €15 million a year that had been invested earlier. 

But a National Audit Office (NAO) report says otherwise: “State energy company Enemalta did the opposite of what it was expected to do from 2018 onwards, investing less in the upgrading of its distribution network (the grid), resulting in the total collapse of the system last summer.” In 2014 annual cost on High Voltage grid was €14.5 million, which kept falling off yearly to miserly €5.7 million in 2023.

Gozo got its fair share from this catastrophe. However, the question of who is addressing this issue remains a mystery to us Gozitans. Who handles the infrastructure in Gozo? The Minister of Gozo? No, he’s preoccupied with planning and hunting, which consumes much of his working day and responsibilities.

The problem has been snowballing for years, yet no one took any action. Additionally, there are more problems on the way because of a lack of investment. Consider Gozo Channel. What is the government doing to modernise the Gozo Channel fleet? Nothing. What is being done to expand the Mgarr harbour to accommodate more ferries? Nothing. The same goes for the other end, in Cirkewwa. What improvements are being made to the berthing facilities and the northern quay? Nothing.

Admittedly, the road leading to the Cirkewwa ferry is now a two-lane road with lighting, but authorities have ignored safety. The Minister responsible for Infrastructure should prioritise his agenda and address the terrible state of the Manikata road, especially during the dark winter months.

The main issue now is infrastructure. Before the 2017 election, ex-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat promised a €700 million improvement to the road network, which did not apply to Gozo. The Minister for Gozo attempted to improve Gozo’s roads with a minimal budget, resulting in no significant changes and worsening conditions.

Meanwhile, we are already a month into summer, and power cuts are back! Gozo has experienced two major power cuts in as many days. Nadur mayor Edward Said expressed frustration on Facebook about the lack of transparency, stating that the worst part is “no one even bothers to give you information, let alone an explanation.”

San Lawrenz mayor Noel Formosa stated “elderly residents are suffering because of the power outages, and businesses like restaurants are losing income.”

Enemalta explained that a fire struck another cable supplying electricity to Gozo. The Civil Protection Department dispatched members to control the situation, causing Enemalta to turn off all cables and stopping electricity to Gozo as a precaution.

The exact cause of the fire remains unknown, affecting several locations, including Nadur, Qala, Mġarr, Għarb, Xagħra, Victoria, San Lawrenz, Għajnsielem, and Marsalforn. Enemalta’s assumption seems to be that they can provide any excuse to Gozitans, stating, “The exact cause of the fire remains unknown.” The actual issue is overload.

This situation reflects a lack of government planning to provide a reliable electricity supply to Gozo. Their primary concern seems to employ Gozitans for votes and allowing them to leave their workplace after 10am. Minister Dalli boasted that Malta’s grid system can cope with any electricity demand – a claim that is misleading and unconvincing.

Enemalta’s executive chair stated they propose a temporary power plant to prevent further power cuts and it will be operational by mid-August. Ryan Fava affirmed that the €37 million diesel-run 60-megawatt plant should arrive in Malta towards the end of this month and become operational within two to three weeks.

However, in March 2024, Ryan Fava wrote to the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), stating that without the new temporary power plant, the State energy company could not guarantee the necessary supply for consumers this summer. He requested a shortcut in planning permits, emphasising the need for the new leased plant by June to avoid an energy crisis during peak tourism season.

Fava’s public statements contradicted Energy Minister Miriam Dalli, who insisted that Malta had sufficient energy generation capacity. Meanwhile, Minister Dalli’s solution is to install a new interconnector with Sicily to import an extra 200MW when needed. However, the development of this second interconnector is experiencing delays, and they expect it being ready only by late 2026. This means enduring three more summers of sizzling heat, hoping the cables can handle the demand.

Gozitans are facing a very challenging situation. The roads are in a disastrous state and are worsening. The population of Gozo is 39,287, an increase of about 9,200 since 2011, and electricity demand is rising. According to Eurostat, only 10.1% of Malta’s energy came from renewable sources in 2022, the lowest rate in Europe. Another interconnector needs another three years.

Gozo Business Chamber did not mince their words: “Constant power cuts are eroding business and investment confidence during a crucial period of the tourism season,” the Chamber said on Saturday 20 July. 

GBC commented further, “Apart from the significant impact this is having on our communities, especially the more vulnerable, such a situation erodes business and investment confidence at such a crucial juncture of the busy tourism season.”

The chamber expressed concern at the state of the country’s energy infrastructure, which has translated into constant power cuts.

After all, the silver lining depends on the size of the cloud. On Thursday evening, ‘festa’ enthusiasts at the Sannat parish church were getting ready to bring the statue of ‘Santa Margerita’, the patron saint of the locality’s feast, out of her niche, when the lights suddenly went off. 

However, despite the inopportune moment, the faithful in Sannat did not let the outage wipe out their enthusiasm, with the crowd of youths gathered to celebrate their saint, illuminating the walls adorned with gold and red damask with the humble lights from their mobile phones. 

In the brief clip of Thursday night’s celebrations, one voice says, “Our beautiful jewel shines brightly even in the darkness.” This outage did not affect the almost full moon, which flooded the parvis with its golden mellow light.

Let’s hope everyone affected in these frequent power cuts shares the same spirit of optimism.