Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1539671
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 SEPTEMBER 2025 NEWS Malta's Airport to start electrification by 2029 MALTA International Air- port must begin providing fixed ground electricity for stationary aircraft by 2029, according to a draft policy on alternative fuels published for consultation. Today, aircraft are parked on re- mote stands without aerobridges, and no ground electricity availa- ble. The new requirement aims to reduce reliance on auxiliary power units, cutting emissions and noise at the airport. The targets are outlined in Mal- ta's Draft National Policy Frame- work for Alternative Fuels In- frastructure for Transport 2025, which sets plans for road, mari- time, and aviation sectors to align Malta with the EU directive. The document was released for con- sultation to gather feedback from stakeholders. Aviation accounted for around 40% of the nation's transport en- ergy consumption in 2019, and MIA recorded over 50,000 aircraft movements that year. Infrastructural works required The 2029 deadline is only a par- tial milestone. Full electrification will require major upgrades to most aprons. Existing Aprons 8 and 9, and the planned Apron X, must be retrofitted with buried electrical cabling reaching the nose gear area of each stand. Sig- nificant investment is required in aviation-grade electrical ground equipment, distribution substa- tions, and switchgear to manage the increased load. Electrifying airside operations is expected to more than double the total power requirement for exist- ing aprons, with Apron X alone needing an additional 630 kVA. A new 132kV Distribution Centre will also be developed by Enemal- ta, with discussions ongoing to se- cure capacity and investment. Due to operational constraints, full implementation on all remote stands may not occur before 2040. Hydrogen is not expected to play a significant role in aviation in the near term due to space and tech- nical constraints, leaving airport electrification as the immediate focus. EV infrastructure Road transport is also adapting. Publicly accessible EV charging points are set to rise from 372 to- day to 1,572 by 2025. This prom- ise reiterated the pledge made in the last budget. Although a four-fold increase, this remains a fraction of the 6,500 points targeted by 2030. Fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to- gether make up only about 3% of Malta's licensed vehicle fleet. Growth has been supported by grants, registration and licence fee exemptions, preferential parking, and lower off-peak elec- tricity tariffs. Publicly available charging points currently amount to about three per kilometre of the TEN-T network. By 2030, an es- timated 6,500 points will be re- quired. For heavy-duty vehicles, 10 high-power points exist, with further demand assessments due in 2026. Planning permits, grid capacity, and energy flexibility remain ongoing challenges. Maritime sector Malta's maritime sector is also adapting. Shore-side electricity, previously absent from Valletta and Marsaxlokk ports, has been introduced at the Grand Har- bour's Northern Quays and Boil- er Wharf through a €33.2 million project operational in July 2024. A €44 million extension covering the Southern Grand Harbour, in- cluding ro-ro and ro-pax termi- nals, is due to start in 2025. Marsaxlokk's Freeport Termi- nals NQT 1 and NQT 2 are be- ing equipped with high-voltage connections for container ships at a cost of €29 million. These investments position Malta to meet the EU's 2030 deadline for shore-side electricity at TEN-T core ports, though implementa- tion remains limited to specific zones. Other alternative fuels Other alternative fuels, includ- ing LNG and hydrogen, continue to play a minimal role in Malta. Studies referenced in the 2025 draft found LNG unfeasible for road transport, and hydrogen in- frastructure is largely impractical given spatial constraints, popula- tion density, and uncertain sup- ply. Malta International Airport will begin providing fixed ground electricity for stationary aircraft by 2029, though most aprons will require major upgrades unlikely to be completed before 2040 JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt With just over 1,500 electric car charging pillars, Malta still has only a fraction of the 6,500 publicly accessible pillars it set as a target by 2030 A draft policy on alternative fuels infrastructure suggests that by 2029 Malta International Airport should start providing fixed ground electricity for stationary aircraft