Opposition Leader Alex Borg has criticised the government over Malta's ongoing power cuts, saying that the country's infrastructure is failing to cope with the demands of a growing population and increasingly hot summers.

Speaking during an interview on party media, Borg said there was a distinction between the government's economic figures and the reality being experienced by people outside the office.

"You have to distinguish between the numbers and reality," Borg said, arguing that there were "many real challenges" that do not appear in economic statistics.

He pointed to the widespread power cuts experienced in Gozo over the weekend as an example, saying he had personally experienced the situation and spoken to residents affected by the outages.

Borg said the consequences were particularly concerning for vulnerable people, including families with children and people dependent on medical equipment.

He recounted speaking to a woman whose father relies on an oxygen machine and who, during the power cut, faced the prospect of having to get him to hospital because there was no electricity.

"These are not things that should be happening in 2026," Borg said.

He also accused the government of failing to provide sufficient information about the cause of the outages, questioning claims that the situation was related to low voltage.

Borg said the Enemalta map does not show low-voltage incidents, while high-voltage faults were visible across the map during the weekend.

He said that some hotels and Airbnb properties were forced to remove families and tourists because they were left without electricity.

The Opposition Leader also questioned the government's investment in the electricity network, referring to the €140 million cited by Energy Minister Miriam Dalli and asking where the money had been spent given that power cuts continued to occur.

Borg compared Malta's situation with countries such as Dubai and Qatar, which also experience extreme heat but, he argued, do not suffer from power cuts on the same scale.

"Where is the regulator? Where is the person checking the regulations and protocols?" he asked, describing the situation as evidence of a lack of responsibility from the minister.

Borg said the problem was not limited to this summer and had been occurring for years without sufficient action being taken.

Asked what the Nationalist Party had done during the summer, Borg said its political work did not stop following a general election.

He said PN representatives had continued meeting people at festas and in village squares, while the party was also seeking a meeting with the Malta Chamber of SMEs to discuss the impact of power cuts.

On the Yorgen Fenech jury trial, Borg said he had appointed a technical team to monitor the facts and developments surrounding the case.

He explained that the PN had deliberately refrained from commenting during the proceedings, arguing that statements from the Opposition could potentially influence the jury.

Once the case concludes, Borg said the party would speak out and take whatever steps it believed were necessary to support people affected by the case.

Looking ahead, Borg said the PN had begun preparations for Independence Day celebrations, promising an event that would be different from previous years and would focus on returning to the party's roots.

He also highlighted the party's work with local councillors, criticising the Labour government for reducing the powers of local councils.

Borg said he believed more power should be returned to local councils because they were closest to the communities they represented.

The PN, he said, would continue pushing for greater representation for local councils in the next local elections and for a stronger programme addressing the challenges faced by communities.

With Parliament set to resume in around five weeks, Borg said the Opposition would continue bringing the issues experienced by people during the summer to Parliament for discussion.

He also referred to a consultation launched by the PN regarding legislation establishing a commission for equality and human rights, saying the party would continue raising the issues it had identified and seek solutions to ensure they were not allowed to continue.