Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1500676
10 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 JUNE 2023 JAMES DEBONO THE construction of a second intercon- nector is necessary to keep up with rising energy demand, reduce local emissions and stabilising the grid for offshore re- newable plants. In its absence Malta will "face challeng- es" in meeting its electricity demand dur- ing peak periods, the Environment Im- pact Assessment warns. The EIA was commissioned by Inter- connect Malta, a company owned by the Maltese government, and conducted by AIS, an environmental consultancy com- pany led by engineer Mario Schembri. According to the EIA the interconnec- tor will provide Malta with a reliable and stable supply of energy, "reducing the risk of blackouts and ensuring the uninter- rupted supply of electricity to households and businesses". But its impact on climate change de- pends on whether the energy bought from Europe is renewable or derived from fossil fuels, an Environment Impact Assessment for Malta's second intercon- nector states. The proposed shift in transportation is also expected to increase the overall de- mand for electricity by a significant mar- gin. Whilst it may be possible for Malta to meet the initial surge in demand by oper- ating a combination of the existing power stations and the first interconnector ca- ble, the electrical supply "is unlikely to remain sufficient and reliable to meet the load in the medium to long-term". The proposed second interconnector linking Enemata's Maghtab terminal sta- tion to the the TERNA 220kV substation in Contrada Cimillà at Ragusa, is essential to ensure that Malta has enough energy to cater for its increased population, the electrification of its car fleet and sustain current levels of economic growth. Interconnector ultimately aimed at re- placing gas plants The demand for the project to build the 225 MWe interconnector is also required by the need to "replace old generating plants" and shift to the importation of 'electrical energy from large-scale renew- able sources connected to the European grid". According to the EIA in the long-term the proposed new electricity intercon- nector is designed to meet the future electrical demand whilst simultaneously offsetting the atmospheric emissions that are currently generated from the existing natural gas and diesel oil power stations at Delimara. The document envisages a future sce- nario in which the existing Combined Cy- cle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plants are most- ly used "for grid balancing or as backup in case of constraints on the use of the interconnectors". EIA dampens enthusiasm for hydro- gen-ready plant The document also assesses several pos- sible alternatives to the investment in a second interconnector to ensure that Malta meets the projected increase in en- ergy demand. One of the alternatives considered is an additional plant which would necessari- ly have to be hydrogen-ready to comply with the reduced greenhouse emission limits required by the EU Green Deal pol- icy. But the EIA sounds caution, warning that the technology required for hydrogen readiness is not mature enough, "making it a risky proposition". Moreover, it warns that experimental plants could become "stranded assets" due to the rapidly evolv- ing technology. Additionally, the increase in local generation would require addi- tional investment in the source of fuel, potentially through a hydrogen-ready gas pipeline, as well as the availability of hy- drogen through the European gas grid. Decreased emissions The document refers to statistics show- ing that in 2021, 71% of the electricity produced was generated from power plants, 19.1% was imported from the existing interconnector, and 9.9% was produced from renewable energy sourc- es. This amounted to an annual total of 2,671.8 GWh, a 7% increase from the previous year which coincided with the pandemic. Despite the increased demand for elec- tricity, the island reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 4.7% when compared to the previous year. This is mainly at- tributed to a 30.4% increase in energy imported from the interconnector over the previous year. Interconnector to complement renewa- ble energy An alternative sscenario considered in the EIA is the "accelerated" instal- lation of renewable electricity gener- ating plants to meet the objectives of the Green New Deal policy. However, according to the EIA these plants suf- Second electricity interconnector to meet peak energy demand, The Environmental Impact Assessment on second interconnector is published Energy Minister Miriam Dalli during a meeting with Sicilian President Sebastiano Musumeci last year when the second interconnector was discussed (Photo: DOI)