Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546133
THE Sicily-Malta interconnec- tor supplied 33.5% of Malta's total electricity distribution in 2025, slightly higher than the 32.4% recorded in 2024. Figures published by Enemalta plc show that only a small pro- portion of the electricity import- ed through the cable came from renewable sources. Renewable energy accounted for a provisional 9.8% of the inter- connector mix in 2025, up from 8% in 2024. The remaining imported elec- tricity was largely generated from non-renewable sources, including natural gas (68.4%), coal (9.2%), nuclear energy (4.6%) and petro- leum products (0.9%). This means that more than eight out of every 10 units of electricity imported through the intercon- nector in 2025 originated from fossil fuel or nuclear power. Enemalta has previously ex- plained that Malta has limited control over the exact generation sources of electricity imported through the interconnector since electricity is purchased through the European wholesale market rather than directly from individ- ual power stations. The utility company has said that electricity flows through the interconnector reflect the gener- ation mix available in the wider European market at the time of purchase. It has also pointed out that renewable energy guarantees or certificates are traded sepa- rately from physical electricity flows, meaning that purchasing electricity through the cable does not automatically result in a high- er renewable component. In a recent interview with Malt- aToday Climate Action Authority CEO Abigail Cutajar explained that since Malta buys electricity on the daily open trad- ing market, it cannot dictate the exact origin of imported power. She stressed that Malta could not rely solely on the interconnector and needed to continue expand- ing domestic renewable energy generation to reach its target of 25% renewable energy by 2030. The 2025 figures confirm the increased role played by the in- terconnector since 2024, when imported electricity rose sharply following high summer demand and periods of reduced availabil- ity from domestic power plants. Before this increase, the inter- connector accounted for a con- siderably smaller share of Malta's electricity mix, ranging between 21% and 22.9% in 2022 and 2023. The composition of import- ed electricity has also changed since the European energy crisis of 2023. While coal accounted for 22.8% of the interconnector's electricity mix, in 2023, by 2025, coal's share had fallen to 9.2%, while renewable imports reached their highest provisional level. The changing energy mix con- tributed to a reduction in Malta's electricity emissions factor. In 2025, the provisional figure fell to 364g of CO₂ per kilowatt hour, down from 380gCO₂/kWh in 2024 and below the crisis peak of 394gCO₂/kWh recorded in 2023. 13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 AUGUST 2026 NEWS Sicily cable supplied a third of Malta's electricity in 2025 JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt More than eight out of every 10 units of electricity imported through the interconnector in 2025 originated from fossil fuel or nuclear power