Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545920
2 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 JULY 2026 NEWS More power outages hit Malta overnight MORE power outages were re- corded across Malta overnight, with a number of localities ex- periencing cuts that lasted from a couple of hours to throughout the night and into Tuesday. Among the areas affected were Sliema, Iklin, Pembroke, San- ta Venera, St Julian's, Ħamrun, Baħrija, Fgura, Birkirkara, Mar- sa, Naxxar, and large parts of Birgu and Bormla. Enemalta's outage map also shows a number of scheduled interruptions in Żebbuġ, Ħam- run, Żurrieq and Marsaxlokk. The latest disruptions come as Malta's electricity grid con- tinues to come under pressure during a period of soaring tem- peratures and record demand. On Monday, Enemalta said power cuts affecting homes in Birkirkara, Balzan and Iklin were caused by four separate and unrelated cable faults. The state-owned energy provider said mobile generators were deployed to reduce disruption while electricity demand was expected to exceed previous all- time peaks. The overnight outages follow comments by Energy Minister Miriam Dalli, who on Monday acknowledged that government must continue investing in Mal- ta's electricity distribution net- work following renewed sum- mer power cuts. Speaking to journalists outside parliament, Dalli said work to strengthen the distribution sys- tem has been ongoing since the widespread outages of summer 2023, when tens of thousands of residents across Malta and Gozo were left without electric- ity. She said localities where in- frastructure upgrades had been carried out in recent years had proved less susceptible to pro- longed outages. However, Dalli acknowledged that some areas had still experienced lengthy power cuts, underlining the need for continued investment in the network. Enemalta has attributed Mon- day's disruptions in Birkirkara, Balzan and Iklin to four unre- lated cable faults, but the fresh overnight outages affecting multiple localities are likely to raise further questions over the resilience of the electrici- ty distribution system as Malta experiences another period of extreme summer heat. KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt The Enemalta map showing power cuts and scheduled outages on Tuesday morning Robert Abela issues 'unconditional apology' after days of power cuts PRIME Minister Robert Abela extended an "unconditional apol- ogy" to the public following days of repeated power outages across Malta amid increasingly high tem- peratures. Power cuts were reported across Malta on Monday night, with several localities experiencing outages lasting from a few hours to throughout the night and into Tuesday morning. The disruption coincided with a record-breaking heatwave. Tem- peratures reached 43.3°C on Sat- urday, making it the hottest July day ever recorded in Malta, while temperatures remained at around 42°C on Monday and Tuesday. "While we have done a lot, the challenges are still large," Abela said, pointing to temperatures that are continuing to rise and persist for longer periods. The prime minister also referred to the situation across Europe, where several countries have ex- perienced deadly, record-break- ing heatwaves and widespread wildfires. "This is no excuse," Abela insist- ed. "My concern is only the people in Malta." Abela explained the outages were not caused by insufficient energy generation to meet in- creased demand, but by problems within the electricity distribu- tion network across Malta and Gozo. On energy gener- ation, he said fur- ther improvements would follow the completion of the second electrici- ty interconnector between Malta and Sicily. "We want to make sure that episodes such as this do not repeat them- EVA BRANNON ebrannon@mediatoday.com.mt Prime Minister Robert Abela (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)