Households and businesses that experienced electricity outages lasting more than six hours during the ongoing heatwave will once again be eligible for compensation, the government said Wednesday.

In a statement, the Energy Ministry confirmed that, as in previous exceptional circumstances, compensation will be paid to businesses and households that suffered prolonged interruptions to their electricity supply lasting more than six hours, the statement said.

The payment is being granted in view of the effects of the prolonged, extreme and unprecedented heatwave, with average temperatures exceeding 40°C, the statement said.

It said that the compensation mechanism, which has already been applied in previous years, is intended to provide support to those affected by prolonged interruptions to their electricity supply.

"Our priority has been, and remains, to restore the electricity supply in the shortest possible time. At the same time, we want to ease the difficulties people are facing during this period. We will therefore once again apply the compensation scheme that has been used in the past, while continuing with the unprecedented investment being made in the energy sector," Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said.

The government said the intense heatwave affecting the Maltese Islands drove electricity demand to a record 741MW on Tuesday, significantly higher than the previous record of 663MW registered in the summer of 2023.

It said the exceptional demand placed sustained pressure on the distribution network.

The government thanked all Enemalta employees who, despite difficult conditions and extreme temperatures, continue to work to restore the electricity supply and assist affected communities.

It also thanked the public for the cooperation shown throughout the extraordinary circumstances, the statement said.