Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537311
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 JULY 2025 NEWS Solar farm set for approval on former Maghtab landfill THE Planning Authority is set to approve a large photovoltaic (PV) solar farm covering an area equiv- alent to more than seven football pitches on the site of the disused Magħtab landfill in Naxxar, sev- en years after the application was first submitted. The development, consisting of over 20,000 photovoltaic panels required to produce 5MW of en- ergy, is being proposed by Ene- malta. A case officer has recommend- ed the solar farm for approval, with the final decision to be taken by the PA board on 31 July. The proposed solar farm will be sit- uated on a capped section of the former Magħtab landfill known as Ta' Żwejra — an artificial hill that dominates the existing landscape and was sealed with impermeable layers and soil in an attempt to re- habilitate the area. Despite efforts to reintroduce vegetation through a large-scale landscaping project involving in- digenous trees and shrubs, the site remains barren. This failure is at- tributed to "the presence of toxic substances within the site". As proposed, the ground-mount- ed PV panels — installed in clus- ters on the sloping sections of the landfill — will cover approximate- ly 54,000 square metres. The pro- ject also requires four electrical substations. The Environment and Resourc- es Authority (ERA) has raised no objections, concluding through a screening process that the project is unlikely to have significant envi- ronmental impacts. However, in 2021, the Super- intendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) expressed concerns about the visual impact of the panels, particularly after the project ar- chitect informed it that screening the solar farm with trees would not be possible. The SCH's main concern was that the development would re- sult in an "unbroken façade of glass" along the steep sides of the hillock, which would inevitably al- ter the character of the landscape. The SCH warned that this could hinder future efforts to integrate the site with the surrounding ru- ral environment. Since then, the Magħtab area has been identi- fied for the development of the Ecohive complex, which is set to include a waste-to-energy plant and other waste facilities. Despite the SCH's concerns, the Development Management Di- rectorate noted that the existing visual baseline is already dominat- ed by the landfill and concluded that the solar farm's visual im- pact is unlikely to be significant. The panels will also be installed at specific angles, using materials designed to reduce reflection and glare. Disused landfills, along with quarries, are listed as preferred lo- cations for new solar farms under the policy regulating such devel- opments. If approved, the 5MW solar farm could generate around 8,000 MWh of electricity annually — enough to power between 1,600 and 2,000 households. Photomontage of proposed solar farm