The first of 12 former oil storage tanks at San Luċjan, Birżebbuġa, has been dismantled as work continues to clear and decommission the site ahead of its planned regeneration, the Ministry for Energy and the Environment said in a statement.

The 25-tonne tank is the first of the structures previously used to store heavy fuel oil to be removed. The remaining 11 tanks are expected to be dismantled sequentially over the coming months, with the works scheduled to continue until around the end of March 2027.

The dismantling follows an extensive cleaning operation earlier this year, during which approximately 1,200 cubic metres of oily waste sludge were removed from the tanks.

Workers have also carried out an operation on the site's network of pipework. Sections were drained, cleaned and dismantled, with around 10,000 litres of residual oil recovered in the process.

The site clearance project has been entrusted to Petromal and forms part of the government's plans to transform the former industrial area into a sustainable innovation hub.

Energy and Environment Minister Miriam Dalli visited the site together with Petromal chairman James Camenzuli and Birżebbuġa mayor Scott Camilleri.

Dalli said the works represented the physical transformation of a site that had been associated with heavy fuel oil storage for decades.

"Our objective is not simply to remove obsolete infrastructure, but to reclaim this area and give it a new purpose that delivers environmental, social and economic value for Birżebbuġa and the wider community in the Southern Region," she said.

The decommissioning process will also involve removing the bases of the tanks, testing the ground beneath them and dismantling the former pump house and other associated structures.

The overall decommissioning works are expected to be completed during 2027, subject to the results of environmental testing.

The government is also continuing to develop plans for the site's future following the conclusion of the second phase of public consultation.

According to the plans outlined by the ministry, the regenerated San Luċjan area is intended to incorporate education, innovation and technology facilities alongside cultural, recreational and entertainment uses. Publicly accessible green spaces and family-oriented facilities are also envisaged as part of the site's future development.