Despite having a continental shelf over 200 times its landmass, Malta's oil and gas potential remains virtually untapped after seven decades of minimal activity, President of the Malta Chamber of Geologists Dr Peter Gatt said.

In an interview with The Malta Independent, Gatt described Malta's continental shelf as vast in proportion to the islands themselves.

However, with only 13 wells drilled since the 1950s, Gatt said that the nation has not even begun serious exploration, especially when compared to neighbouring Italy, which has drilled over 6,000 wells in the same timeframe.

Gatt attributed this stagnation to an "institutional vacuum" that he believed is depriving the country of significant economic opportunities.

While neighbouring Eastern Mediterranean countries are discovering gas fields and positioning themselves as regional energy hubs, Malta has recorded declining exploration activity and, at one point, even zero licences in a single year, a situation which Gatt believed reflects the absence of a national oil and gas exploration strategy.

"Italy has drilled over 6,000 wells in the same period of time," he said, adding that this disparity reflected what he described as an institutional lacuna that needs to be addressed.

"We have to be like all the other countries around us, not only in Europe but also all over the world, we need to have a National Geological Service," Gatt said.

Gatt argued that the absence of such a service directly impacts Malta's ability to attract international energy companies.

"One needs to relate to these companies, show the geological prospects of Malta, and what is interesting for them. We are not doing that. We are not marketing our territory, our continental shelf, unlike other countries," he said.

Gatt pointed to developments across the Eastern Mediterranean.

"In the Eastern Mediterranean, not so far away from us, we actually have an energy hub developing, and in Malta we have nothing going on," he said.

He referenced large gas discoveries in Israel, Egypt and Cyprus, noting that Cyprus "is discovering one gas field after the other one," while Greece is also very active.

"In fact, there was a point where we had zero licences for a whole year in Malta, and that is a very negative record for this century. In the same period of time, there was a lot of exploration and development activity going on in the Eastern Mediterranean," he said.

Gatt said that some wells drilled in Malta dated back to the 1950s, when technology was "practically primitive compared to today's technology," both in terms of drilling capability and geological science.

"Nowadays one can drill horizontally as well, which was a concept that did not exist in the 1950s to 70s. Despite the massive advances that we have in technology and science, rather than having an increase in the number of wells drilled in Malta, we actually have a decrease," Gatt said.

Gatt criticised Malta's reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).

"Nowadays, we practically import all our energy needs. LNG, liquefied natural gas, was initially imported from South America - can you imagine the cost and energy used for crossing all the Atlantic to come to Malta?" he said.

He questioned the environmental argument often associated with LNG.

"I am not quite sure, when it comes to the greenhouse gas budget, whether we have actually done something good for the environment. The production of LNG has a very negative impact when it comes to greenhouse gases. The fact that you have to freeze and compact this gas into a liquid, there is a lot of energy being spent, besides the transport," Gatt said.

He argued that a domestic gas field supplying the Delimara power station directly would be economically, strategically and environmentally preferable.

"Our calculation is that about a billion euro every year is spent on importing oil and gas. This is all going to be burnt here in Malta. Just imagine if we have our own oil and gas, we can save that billion, and we might even export and make money out of it," Gatt said.

He cited Israel's gas exports and negotiations with Egypt as an example of what other countries have achieved.

"Israel is negotiating a gas deal with Egypt to the amount of 36 billion dollars. That could have been Malta doing that," he said.

Gatt said there are definite indicators of gas and oil in Malta's continental shelf, and possibly other resources along the seabed.

"The world is moving into a stage of seabed mining, and while it is very controversial, many countries are doing it. Japan is doing it, even for rare earths, which are very important for modern technology. However, we have not even started when it comes to basic oil and gas, let alone seabed mining," Gatt said.

He added that such industries could bring "a massive amount of wealth" to the country, particularly given Malta's small and vulnerable economy, which heavily relies on imported labour.

"There are alternatives. We can make a lot of money from oil and gas," he said.

Engineering interventions

Gatt also reiterated that geological knowledge is essential before undertaking engineering interventions along the coast.

"The worst thing that we can do is to have a geological intervention without any knowledge of the geology itself, because any engineering intervention will be based on the seabed, which is really the geology of what is around us," Gatt said.

While breakwaters and other interventions may be necessary, he said they must be grounded in geological study.

"There have been situations in other countries where engineering interventions have actually worsened the situation rather than improved it, resulting in more coastal erosion," Gatt said.

He identified areas experiencing rapid erosion, including Ghar Lapsi and the Sliema coastline, as well as Xemxija and parts of Bugibba.

"With climate change, the atmospheric system changes are going to affect other systems. It will affect the ocean and the geological systems as well, and we need to be prepared for that," Gatt said.

Gatt also criticised restoration practices and material selection in both historic and modern construction.

He said the Knights and the British had demonstrated detailed knowledge of local stone, selecting highly resistant limestone that has endured for centuries, including at Fort St Elmo, a fortification at the tip of Valletta, which is completely exposed to the natural elements.

"Yet the type of limestone used, a very specific type of limestone, that is so resistant and still there, in very good condition," Gatt said.

By contrast, he described modern restoration practices as sometimes bordering on "obscenities," where historic masonry is replaced with incompatible limestone that can weather within three to five years.

"There are lots of cases where the new stone which has replaced the old stone would weather within three to five years," Gatt said.

He argued that geologists must be involved in restoration decisions, particularly in Malta and Gozo where historical architecture is central to cultural identity.

Gatt also noted that all practising geologists in Malta had to study overseas because there is no BSc in Geology at the University of Malta or MCAST.

"We need people with a specialised geology degree, but we do not have a first degree in geology available in Malta," he said.

Gatt described resistance to recognising geologists as a profession as part of a broader reluctance to integrate geological expertise into national systems.

"Here in Malta, we are seen as a new profession, even though geology as a science has existed for over 200 or 300 years. There is always resistance to a new profession," Gatt said.

Nevertheless, he insisted Malta needs geologists for public safety, natural resource management and long-term economic strategy.

"We need to overcome these issues and face the facts, that we do need geologists, and we are a small island, so we need to really take care of our natural resources," Gatt said.

Gatt concluded that Malta must begin applying European standards consistently.

"We need to start taking these things seriously and also start applying European standards. The Chamber of Geologists has been at the forefront about applying European standards. It is about time that we apply European standards especially in the construction industry, but we're not seeing that in Malta. We are very much still living in the past," Gatt said.

Radon, radioactivity and what lies beneath

Gatt said that geology's importance extends beyond construction materials.

"Geology is about rocks, but the implications are much wider than that, because all our natural resources actually come from the ground, and even the implications on health," Gatt said.

He said that Malta contains thin layers of highly radioactive rock, roughly one metre or less in thickness, from which radon gas can emanate.

Gatt confirmed that independent testing, including his own, has identified the presence of radon gas emanating from local rock formations. He emphasized the urgent need for public awareness, particularly in areas where these strata are close or located directly beneath residential developments.

"There are regulations all over the world about this, but we don't have that here in Malta."

Storms, faults and seismic stress

Gatt also warned of geological risks linked to climate change and tectonic stress.

"The most immediate risks are firstly related to climate change. As we have seen quite recently, with the damage caused by Storm Harry, I think the country was unprepared," Gatt said.

He said that Maltese authorities had been informed in advance by Sicilian colleagues about high waves, but official warnings locally came too late.

He specifically cited Ghar Lapsi's geological weakness, where damage was linked to a fault crossing the area.

"We need to map these areas and try to predict what kind of damage might happen now and in the future," Gatt said.

He added that Malta may be entering a phase of increased low-magnitude earthquakes closer to or beneath the islands.

"The African plate is pushing onto the Eurasian plate. The rock itself in Malta is stressed. There is compressive stress on the rock," Gatt said.

"Ignorance is not an excuse for us. We are a modern country, part of the European Union, and we should be studying what dangers the ground itself might pose to the local population. This is the responsibility of government," Gatt said.

 The first part of the interview was carried yesterday