A €2.56 million solar farm developed by telecommunications company Melita on the site of a former quarry in Mqabba is capable of generating enough electricity to meet the consumption of approximately 900 households, the government said in a statement.

Energy and Environment Minister Miriam Dalli visited the solar farm, which was fully financed through private investment and benefited from the Regulator for Energy and Water Services' (REWS) Invitation to Bid (ITB) scheme.

The scheme allows renewable energy projects to benefit from a favourable rate for electricity exported to the national grid.

The solar farm in Mqabba complements two smaller solar farms already operated by Melita, with all the electricity generated by the new facility being exported directly to the national grid.

During her visit, Dalli encouraged more companies to invest in similar renewable energy projects, saying that such investments would help strengthen Malta's clean energy sector.

"These are the types of projects that we encourage as a country. We want to continue encouraging companies like Melita to increase their use of clean energy sources. Projects such as this demonstrate how investment in clean energy can deliver tangible results. This is the way forward, and I encourage more companies to follow suit," Dalli said.

The statement said Melita was currently generating renewable energy equivalent to more than 40% of its annual electricity consumption.

The company is also working on further renewable energy projects, with the eventual objective of generating enough electricity from renewable sources to cover 100% of its annual consumption.

Dalli was accompanied during the visit by Melita chief executive officer Harald Roesch and Kevin Borg, the company's Head of Customer Operations and AI Implementation.