Malta's energy targets need to be more ambitious than they currently are and aim for 50% renewable energy generation by the year 2030, ADPD General Secretary Ralph Cassar said on Friday.

Cassar commented that without ambitious targets, the zero-carbon aim by 2050 will certainly not be achieved and Malta will remain completely dependent on electric fuels generated by others. He added that it is essential to not escape the reality of the urgent need for buildings in Malta to move towards zero-carbon as quickly as possible.

The ADPD General Secretary said that the Green Party is insisting that the government look to "the weak target" of 11.5% of renewable energy from the total gross energy consumption until 2030 and raising it to 50%. He stated that the target of 11.5% has already been reached, but that this target may end up meaning nothing if the country continues to import and use electricity generated from fossil fuels or other non-renewable sources.

He said that the investment in renewable and clean energy generated in Malta, "including investment in the accelerated strengthening of the electricity distribution system", would translate into the creation of new jobs "instead of sending large millions of euros out of the country continually". He continued that it is clear the government is not interested in pushing the construction industry to build or renovate zero-carbon buildings which require the installation of solar water heaters and photovoltaic systems in a mandatory manner. Additionally, he described the budget measures as "token measures" next to the investment needed, "investment that stays in the country instead of being burned in fuel, subsidies, and interconnectors".

Cassar remarked that the Nationalist Party and the Labour Government's boasting about the second interconnector testifies to the lack of vision that the parties have when it comes to energy. "Instead of putting our country on the path of renewable energy produced by Malta itself, both the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party have ensured that Malta remains among the last in the ranking of EU countries when it comes to renewable energy."

With that said, the ADPD General Secretary continued that the PN and PL both want an increasing dependence on third countries and that they want Malta to be exposed to foreign markets. He said that the PN had chosen heavy fuel oil while the government "spent millions to buy permits to pollute" and "to invest in suspicious projects in Montenegro" while barely making a step forward in renewable energy.

He commented that it would have been wise to use public funds to increase the country's capacity to generate renewable energy instead of using them on the second interconnector. He said that an increase in Malta's capacity to generate in addition to an accelerated strengthening of the electricity distribution system and the energy storage systems would not only bring the country closer to the zero-carbon goal but would also drastically reduce the "almost total dependence" on foreign sources for the energy that Malta needs.

Cassar added that any subsidy to the industry must be linked to energy efficiency and zero-carbon clans, commenting that there should be "no more haphazard subsidies to everyone".