Power has been restored in Valletta but Enemalta engineers are still working on other areas to repair faults that have caused widespread disruption over the past days, the company said Thursday.
Enemalta's engineers and technicians have just "finalised the delicate operation of repairing underground cable faults in Valletta" and are focused on addressing localised interruptions reported in other areas, the company said in a statement.
Repair work on the two underground cables supplying parts of Valletta proved to be particularly complex due to previous infrastructure, but these have now been resolved.
A separate technical team was also deployed to Valletta this morning to isolate and replace a temporary generator after developing technical issues.
Enemalta Executive Chairperson Inġ Ryan Fava said the unprecedented temperatures had driven electricity consumption to never-before experienced levels, placing extraordinary pressure on parts of the national distribution network.
He said Enemalta had anticipated an increase in demand, and this was one of the reasons behind Enemalta's ongoing nationwide network reinforcement programme. This year's demand by far surpassed any previous records, reaching a peak of 741MW in recent days.
"The parts of the distribution network where reinforcement works have already been completed have performed well throughout this period of exceptional demand. The vast majority of the faults we have experienced have occurred on sections of the network where these works have not yet been carried out," he said.
"This is why Enemalta has been investing heavily in strengthening and modernising the electricity distribution network across the country. It is a national infrastructure programme on an unprecedented scale and one that inevitably takes time to implement. What was unprecedented was the speed and scale at which demand increased during several consecutive days of extreme heat."
"Enemalta is acutely aware of the strain being placed on families and businesses affected by interruptions, and our teams remain deployed around the clock to restore supply as quickly and safely as possible," Inġ Fava said.
Enemalta said workers have cleared the equipment from the substation at The Village, St Julian's, which was damaged by a fire earlier this week. Technical experts are assessing the damage and, once the necessary safety clearances are obtained, new equipment will be installed with the aim of bringing the substation back into operation in the coming days.
In addition to increasing the number of staff assigned to the 24/7 Helpline 153, Enemalta said its dedicated WhatsApp channel can be accessed through its website. "Clients are reminded to report power interruptions and related issues exclusively through Enemalta's official reporting channels. Reporting on any other portals does not notify Enemalta," the company said.