The Nationalist Party has called on the government to reveal the cost and the conditions of the gas supply agreement it recently struck with energy giant BP.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela informed the nation, through a telephone interview on party media, that the Maltese government has reached an agreement with global energy giant BP for Malta to be supplied liquefied natural gas (LNG) till the end of May 2027.

The Prime Minister had stopped short on providing any further details on this deal, though noted that the deal will guarantee gas supply for the country at a “good, competitive price” till its expiry.

The PN said in a statement on Monday that “after allowing the country’s gas supply to reach the brink, the Government has signed an agreement for just nine months” and that “this once again raises serious doubts about the security of Malta’s energy supply.”

With Malta’s current gas deal expiring this August, this announcement means that the struck LNG supply agreement is a short-term nine-month contract. The PN said, from as early as this April, that with just three months remaining in the existing Electrogas deal, Malta was facing a potential energy crisis. The government had dismissed these concerns.

On Monday, the PN said that the PL government signed this agreement for gas to be supplied to the power station, “just weeks before the existing arrangement with SOCAR expires in August, after having ignored for years an expiry date it had known about for a decade.”

“Now, the Government has signed an agreement that will cover only nine months, without providing any details about the price at which it will be purchasing gas,” the PN stated.

The Nationalist Party said that the public have a right to know why the government “dragged its feet until the very last minute to negotiate the supply of gas” and at what price, considering how vital the energy sector is for family and businesses.

The PN argued that this nine-month contract highlights that Prime Minister Abela is handling several crucial areas through a “management by crisis” approach.

“In energy too, instead of planning for the long term, the Government allowed the country to reach the brink and is now blowing its own trumpet over a temporary, short-term agreement, without the public knowing how much it will cost,” the PN said.

The PN said it expects the government to disclose these details, namely the price being paid for gas till May 2027 elapses, and to publish the agreement.

“The Government must stop hiding behind PR exercises aimed at making people forget that it has no long-term plan in any sector,” the PN said.

It continued that the PL government had also pledged for Malta to have a gas pipeline by the end of this year so that the country “would no longer depend on the tanker in Marsaxlokk. But here too, it has failed.”

The PN added that Maltese and Gozitans not only expect the government to provide them with peace of mind about the country’s energy supply, but for it to inform them how much such agreements will cost and what are its plans for the country’s future in this regard.

The PN concluded that it hopes for the government to be transparent in the energy sector and for it to reassure the country that the national gas supply is not at risk with the signing of this short-term deal, “especially after thousands of families yesterday began this summer with candles and fans.”

“The PN hopes that the Maltese and Gozitan people, and all those who live in or visit our country, will not have to face yet another summer of power cuts. This is certainly not their dream.”

In reply, the government noted that, as explained in a statement by Enemalta, this agreement is linked to the Title Transfer Facility (TTF) index, the main European benchmark for the price of natural gas.

This means that the procurement of LNG will be based on a transparent pricing mechanism, internationally recognised and aligned with current conditions in the European gas market.

The agreement, concluded by Enemalta with BP, secures the supply of LNG until the end of May 2027. This followed a competitive process that attracted interest from seven established international companies, and after a detailed commercial and technical evaluation by the company, the government said.

The selected offer was the one that provided the best value and security of supply for Malta, in an international context where energy markets remain affected by geopolitical tensions and price uncertainty.

At the same time, Enemalta is working in parallel on continuity of supply beyond the period covered by this contract. This reflects the ongoing commitment to long-term planning and security of energy supply for families and businesses.

This agreement complements a wider programme of investment in energy infrastructure, including the strengthening and modernisation of the electricity distribution network, so that Malta's energy system remains safer, more resilient, and ready for the challenges of the future, the government said.

In its reply, the Labour Party did not specifically address the issue in hand, instead asking who the PN spokesman on energy is, given that Opposition Leader Alex Borg is still to name his shadow Cabinet.