Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545896
A new 190-room four-star ho- tel has been proposed for Pinto Wharf in Marsa, with devel- opers seeking outline planning permission for a 10-level hospi- tality development. The proposed hotel site is located at Pinto Wharf, along Xatt l-Għassara tal-Għeneb in Marsa, within the former mari- time-industrial waterfront area next to the premises of the Eu- ropean Union Agency for Asy- lum and close to the Virtu Fer- ries terminal. The application (PA 04772/26), filed by Keith Attard Portughes's ICI Ltd, proposes the construction of a Class 3B hotel at No. 83, Xatt l-Għassara tal-Għeneb, includ- ing a vertical extension above the existing structure to cre- ate "continuity with adjacent buildings". The applicant has declared full ownership of the 950sq.m property in question. The pro- posed development will rise over two basement levels, a ground floor and nine upper floors, with the hotel extending to a height of 10 storeys above street level. Plans submitted to the Plan- ning Authority show that the hotel would include 190 guest rooms spread across standard and premium setback floors. The development will also fea- ture a reception area, staff facil- ities, waiting areas, a gym and pool at ground floor level. A res- taurant with outdoor seating is proposed on the seventh floor, while basement levels would accommodate storage, garage facilities and back-of-house op- erations. The proposal comes as Marsa is targeted for wid- er regeneration, with recently announced government plans focusing on the transformation of the inner part of the Grand Harbour, once home to the coal depot, a polluting power station and industrial quayside activity, into a mixed-use development of open spaces, commercial establishments, restaurants, a yacht marina, gardens and pe- destrian promenades. It also comes amid growing concerns over tourism and gentrification pressures in nearby Valletta and Floriana, where rising vis- itor numbers and accommoda- tion growth have fuelled debate over the impact on infrastruc- ture and urban communities. The application is currently at outline stage, meaning that the Planning Authority is being asked to approve the develop- ment parameters, such as the principle of the project, its scale and massing, rather than the fi- nal detailed design. A separate full development application would still be required before construction can proceed. Reporting by James Debono 8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 JULY 2026 NEWS Seven in every 10 litres of tap water comes from reverse osmosis plants MORE than seven out of every 10 litres of tap water supplied in Malta during 2025 came from reverse osmosis (RO) plants, marking a record reliance on de- salination. The Water Services Corpora- tion's annual report shows that RO water accounted for 70.7% of the national water supply in 2025, up from 66.3% in 2024, 64% in 2022 and 57% in 2017. RO production rose to 27.9 million cubic metres in 2025, up from around 25.7 million cubic metres in 2024 and 22.8 million cubic metres in 2022. At the same time, groundwa- ter abstraction declined to 11.5 million cubic metres, the lowest annual total recorded in the past decade. Groundwater now ac- counts for less than 30% of the national water blend, compared to 36% in 2022 and 43% in 2017. The figures reflect a long-term strategy by the corporation to improve tap water quality by increasing the proportion of de- salinated water blended into the national distribution network. According to the WSC, the higher RO share enabled it to re- duce average chloride and chlo- rine concentrations by around 30% in 2025. The corporation also established a single national water quality zone, eliminating the regional variations in taste that historically resulted from different groundwater sources. The shift formed part of the If- taħ u Ixrob campaign launched in 2025 to encourage households to drink tap water instead of bot- tled water. The corporation said the im- proved quality of tap water is already influencing consumer behaviour, estimating that Malta produced one million fewer plas- tic water bottles during 2025 as more people opted to drink wa- ter from the tap. The latest figures underline how Malta's water supply has become increasingly dependent on desalination over the past decade. While the strategy has improved the taste and consist- ency of tap water and reduced pressure on over-exploited aq- uifers, it also leaves the country's water security increasingly tied to the energy-intensive reverse osmosis process. The corporation consumed around 190 million units of elec- tricity in 2025, with reverse os- mosis plants accounting for the overwhelming majority of con- sumption. Electricity costs rose to €20.1 million, a 3% increase over the €19.5 million recorded in 2024. According to the WSC, the increase was primarily driven by higher water production to meet growing demand and by its decision to increase the share of reverse osmosis water in the national supply. Because desali- nated water requires significant- ly more energy to produce than groundwater, the shift towards a higher-quality water blend in- evitably carries higher operating costs. The corporation, however, said investments in efficiency helped limit the impact. Average energy consumption at its reverse os- mosis plants fell to 4.7kWh per cubic metre of water produced, a slight improvement over the previous year, following the in- stallation of new membranes that require lower operating pressures. The WSC is also increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to optimise production across its network of around 120 water sources. In Gozo, AI systems are already being used to determine the most energy-efficient combi- nation of groundwater sources, reducing electricity consump- tion while maintaining supply. The corporation has also stepped-up investment in re- newable energy. During 2025 it commissioned four new pho- tovoltaic installations at the Ċirkewwa, Lapsi and Pembroke reverse osmosis plants, as well as its Bulebel warehouse. By the end of November these installations had generated 6.5MWh of renewable electrici- ty. Separately, an upgrade to the aeration system at the Ta' Bar- kat wastewater treatment plant reduced the facility's energy de- mand by around 30%. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Marsa waterfront sees four-star hotel proposal The site is earmarked in red