Most of Gozo spent a night without power, triggering heavy criticism of the government and, in particular, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli.

Enemalta said its teams worked through the night on two major cable faults affecting electricity supply across the island, with repair works continuing on Saturday morning and additional generators being deployed to provide temporary supply.

In a statement on Facebook on Friday, Enemalta said two separate faults affecting 33kV underground cables had resulted in electricity supply interruptions in a number of areas across Gozo.

Technical teams carried out fault-location works to identify the exact points of the underground faults and determine the repairs required. Additional engineers and technicians were deployed from Malta, while generators were brought in to help restore supply and minimise disruption.

"All available resources are being mobilised to restore electricity supply in the shortest possible time," Enemalta said.

The first fault was identified in Xewkija, where excavation works began to expose the damaged section of cable and allow repairs to start.

By Saturday morning, Enemalta said its teams had also located the second fault, this time along the 33kV underground cable network on Comino, close to Enemalta's Distribution Centre. Equipment and resources were being mobilised to the site so that excavation and repair works could begin.

Meanwhile, work on the first fault in Xewkija was continuing. Crews had excavated the damaged section of cable and specialist cable jointers were carrying out jointing repairs.

Electricity supply across the affected areas was still being managed temporarily while the repairs continued. Enemalta warned that customers could therefore experience periods when supply was restored and then interrupted again as available electricity was distributed between different areas.

Work on the second fault on Comino was also getting under way, with excavation equipment being transported to the island by barge before being put into operation.

Enemalta explained that locating and repairing faults on underground high-voltage cables can be a complex and time-consuming process because the cables extend for several kilometres.

Once a fault is located and the cable exposed, engineers must determine how far the damage extends before removing the affected section. They must also carry out tests to establish whether moisture has entered the cable, as this could compromise its insulation and the integrity of the repair once electricity is restored.

If the moisture test is passed, the damaged section can be removed and jointing works can begin. The repaired cable must then undergo further testing before it can safely be brought back into service, Enemalta said.

As repair works continued on both faults, technical crews remained on site and additional resources were deployed to support the operation.

"Enemalta recognises the considerable discomfort being experienced by residents, businesses and visitors who remain without electricity, particularly in the current heat," the corporation said.

"Our immediate focus remains on restoring supply as quickly and safely as possible."

In a separate post, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said she understood what residents were experiencing, adding that work to restore the energy grid had started

Beneath her post, many people criticised the government's lack of planning in the energy sector. It is unacceptable, people wrote, saying that the government should have seen this coming and yet did not prepare for the consequences.

Others expressed their frustration at being without power on a hot night. Malta is going through a heatwave with temperatures set to reach a feel-like of 46 degrees today.

Others were more sarcastice, asking the minister whether she slept comfortably last night.