Prolonged electricity outages in Gozo have now also affected mobile phone and data services, after telecommunications operators' battery backup systems began to run down due to the length of the power cuts, the Nationalist Party said Sunday..

This situation shows just how essential it is for Malta's energy infrastructure to be reliable and resilient.

When power cuts last long enough to begin affecting communications as well, the consequences go far beyond a simple inconvenience.

And in the face of all this, the Prime Minister is absent, the PN said.

Mobile communications and access to data are today essential services for residents, businesses and even in emergency situations. The Government must therefore explain what measures are being taken to ensure that failures in the electricity network do not once again lead to problems spreading to other essential services.

Malta and Gozo need infrastructure capable of meeting the demands of an increasingly digital economy and society.

The statement was signed by Darren Carabott, Shadow Minister for the Economy, Technology and Strategic Projects, and Mark Anthony Sammut, Shadow Minister for Energy and the Environment.