After NAO report, Enemalta says investment in distribution network will continue in coming months
Enemalta has reacted to an NAO report issued on Monday by reaffirming its commitment to invest in its operations across all levels, from generation to distribution, from employee training to using renewable energy.The NAO found that shortcomings in p
Enemalta has reacted to an NAO report issued on Monday by reaffirming its commitment to invest in its operations across all levels, from generation to distribution, from employee training to using renewable energy.
The NAO found that shortcomings in planning and investment, 'to varying degrees', contributed to the prolonged power outages experienced in some localities during the summer of 2023.
“Whilst Enemalta appreciates the comments raised by the NAO, Enemalta reaffirms its commitment to the ongoing investment to strengthen its operations and provide quality service to all its customers,” the government electricity agency said.
Enemalta continued: “The NAO report refers to July 2023, a period of prolonged heatwave over several days. This prolonged heatwave negatively affected the distribution infrastructure across the Mediterranean region and beyond. The extreme temperatures also raised the alarm of the United Nations Secretary-General, who referred to this phenomenon as entering an era of “global boiling”.”
It said that to minimize the impact of the extreme temperatures and the resulting increase in demand, Enemalta had doubled its investment in its distribution system, which will total €55 million in 2024.
Enemalta has already laid and energized 82km of 11kV and 33kV new underground cables through this investment plan, through a collaboration with Infrastructure Malta and Transport Malta. This represents 12km more than the 70km that were originally planned. Enemalta also uprated 36 transformers in various substations, 16 more than the 20 planned for this year. It has also commissioned 32 new substations out of 45 planned and upgraded the switchgear in 22 out of 20 substations planned for 2024.
Enemalta reaffirmed that investments carried out in the low voltage and high voltage sectors cannot be seen in isolation. Together, they both lead to a stronger distribution network.
“I would like to thank all of our Enemalta employees for the work and commitment we are carrying out together. Together with the cooperation we found from Infrastructure Malta and Transport Malta, Enemalta this year already delivered 82km of new underground cables. These works will be extended in the coming months to strengthen our distribution network further,’’ Enemalta Executive Chairman, Ing. Ryan Fava explained.
Ing. Fava stated that, over and above the various works carried out in the area, Enemalta has already started works for the laying of a new underground cable from Marsa to Zebbug and Siggiewi to strengthen its distribution network in the area.
“Enemalta’s priority is to offer the best service to all its customers. Therefore, our aim is to increase the flexibility and resilience of the network if supply disruptions occur. Through alternative connections, Enemalta is able to reduce the duration of service downtimes,” Ing. Fava added.
The implementation of this plan was also presented to the The Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD), where Enemalta gave an update on the ongoing works and implementation of this plan.
“Enemalta’s plans look at investments in the immediate, medium- and longer-term to cater to the distribution system’s immediate and future demands. We are preparing for different challenges, including those resulting from climate change,” Ing. Fava said.
Throughout these past 10 years, Enemalta worked hard to transform its generation sources from Heavy Fuel Oil to LNG, which is a cleaner fuel. This led to the closure of the Marsa power station and the ‘D1’ station in Delimara, thus removing the 150-metre chimney. The ‘D3’ power station was also converted to LNG. These investments resulted in a drastic drop in emissions. During this period Enemalta commissioned the island’s first interconnector. With Malta set to have a second interconnector, this will support the vision of Enemalta and the Government to utilize energy emanating from renewable energy sources.
In parallel, Enemalta continued to work on its distribution network through investments made in new distribution centers, new substations and the automation of existing ones, amongst others.
In February 2022, Enemalta launched a six-year action plan for its distribution. Between 2022 and 2023, it commissioned 80 new substations and upgraded 66 substations, amongst others. Additionally, distribution centres in Marsascala, Imriehel and Tarxien were extended.
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