Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/210069
9 News maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 2013 'Mizzi talks nonsense' – Fenech on night tariffs MIRIAM DALLI THERE was nothing misleading in Nationalist Party's electoral pledge to introduce night tariffs, Tonio Fenech told MaltaToday yesterday, as this would have been possible by spreading the savings and averaging a price. On Sunday, Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi revealed an email by consultants KPMG that gad advised the Nationalist administration to reconsider the time period proposed for the night tariffs. In its electoral programme, the PN pledged electricity night tariffs with costs going down by 26% between 10pm and 6am, once the Malta-Sicily interconnector would be on stream and all smart meters installed. The system was to be introduced next year after Malta would have started buying cheaper electricity at night through the interconnector. But a report by KPMG commissioned by the PN in January 2013 suggested they should revaluate the 10pm-midnight time bracket, as this would not have been feasible. According to the auditing firm, the period between 10pm and midnight was characterised by "high demand with a relatively higher interconnect cost". KPMG argued that prices in Sicily declined significantly at midnight and achieved even more attractive levels after 1am. "The feasibility of a reduced tariff between 10pm and midnight is doubtful," KPMG had told the PN on 17 January. "With the computed tariffs being mitigated to be advantageous but still indicating little economic benefit to consumers, you may wish to re-evaluate whether to include this period in the definition of night time." Mizzi insisted that Simon Busuttil, as the author of the electoral programme, "should be held accountable for promising something he knew he couldn't honour". But according to Tonio Fenech, the energy minister was "talking nonsense". He said that Enemalta currently produced night electricity at between 11c and 12c per KWh. "Between midnight and 6am, this production would go down to between 2c and 3c per KWh. We proposed that the tariff would increase marginally making it possible to include the 10pm and midnight bracket, spreading the reduction and averaging out the final cost," Fenech said. The average tariff would have gone down to around 5c per KWh. The former finance minister said he was "fascinated" by Mizzi's interest in the PN's electoral programme. "Wouldn't it be better for Mizzi to concentrate on his promises rather than wondering on what the PN would have done? He should, for example, be implementing his promise to reduce utility tariffs by between 25% and 35% for all," Fenech said. He insisted that a number of families would in reality be enjoying less than 15% reductions. "It is now clear they won't be honouring their electoral pledge. A family of four consumes more than 6,000 units so, effectively, they will see only a 15% reduction or less." The Opposition has argued that the reductions in utility tariffs announced in this year's Budget, and to take place in 2014 for domestic households, had been made possible by the former government's investment in the Delimara power station. A weekly €1 million savings in the cost of electricity genera- €300 for a school uniform enough to make parents cry SCHOOL uniforms can cost up to a maximum of €296.50 in a church school, according to a parliamentary question reply by Education Minister Evarist Bartolo. The disconcerting figure was the maximum price quoted to the ministry by one of the schools falling under the education secretariat of the Catholic archdiocese, whose teachers' salaries are paid directly by the state. The lowest price quoted for a uniform was of €85, while prices appear to have remained relatively stable over the past five years with no major changes to uniform style. On the other hand, the highest price for a uniform in the government school network was that for secondary school girls and boys from the St Therese College: €208.85 and €195.10. Boys from the St Nicholas College network spent up to €199.70 for their secondary school uniform. It's an impressive regalia too: a full summer and winter secondary school uniform would consist of polo shirt, trousers or skirt, a cap, P.E. shorts and T-shirt, jersey, tie or cross-tie, a tracksuit, blazer and even a school anorak. The highest price for a primary school uniform was again from the St Therese College, at €153.85 for girls' uniforms, and €150.75 for boys and girls from the Gozo College network. READ MORE How much do school uniforms cost? URL http://bit.ly/1fySoeI Konrad Mizzi Tonio Fenech tion, the Opposition argued, was only thanks to the decision of the former administration to procure a new combined-cycle turbine from BWSC. The Delimara extension was the subject of great controversy due to the decision to run the new engines on heavy fuel oil, rather than diesel or gas. The PN argued that up until March, the €62 million in savings would be financing the first €25 million utility rate reductions in 2014. "The truth is these reductions would not have been possible without the BWSC plant. If the agreement with the private company had already been signed, I would have believed the government. But in the absence of this contract, it's clear that the March's tariff cuts promise is being honoured because of the savings gained through the increased efficiency," Fenech said. He also hit out at Mizzi for "overexaggerating" Enemalta's financial situation. "If the entity was as bankrupt as the minister likes to say, would they have increased the excise duties on HFO and gasoil by 2c? This is a phenomenal sum when one considers the amounts Enemalta buys," Fenech said. He insisted that with the proposed energy mix, it would be impossible for the Labour government to introduce night tariffs. The energy minister has not excluded the introduction of night tariffs in the future. "The government is binding to purchasing electricity from a private company. In short, irrespective of the cheaper price which would be available thanks to the interconnector, the government would still have to buy energy at a higher price from the private," Fenech said. He added that contrary to the promise of a 10-year fixed price agreement, consumers will be given only five years. mdalli@mediatoday.com.mt Jail for cannabis user RELAPSING drug user Joseph Buttigieg, 50 of Qala, Gozo was jailed for three and a half years and fined €3,000 after being convicted of cultivating and possessing of 1.8kg of cannabis. The accused had already been jailed in 2009 for 11 years over charges of importing cannabis seeds back in 1999, but told the court that he had never trafficked drugs and only cultivated cannabis for his personal use. Denying being a drug addict, Buttigieg said he neither drinks alcohol nor gambles, but for the past 38 years had smoked joints every day. During his time in jail, the accused said he was rolling his own tobacco, and that he had only smoked his joints in a small garden adjacent to his house, to prevent his son from seeing him and being exposed to drugs. The case dates back to January 2005, when the accused was under surveillance by officers from the Police Drug Squad and was seen leaving his field at Dahlet Qorrot, inside a van. The Police attempted to stop the vehicle and fired warning shots but the accused put the van in reverse and tried to flee the scene. Shots were then fired at the van's wheels before Buttigieg surrendered to the officers. Led by the accused himself, officers were taken to the area where Buttigieg cultivated his cannabis plants and a paper bag with dried cannabis leaves was handed to the investigators. Forensic tests revealed the dried leaves to be 5.5% pure. Magistrate Miriam Hayman held that the reports tabled by court experts highlighted that 1.8kg of Cannabis could be turned into around 3,747 joints. This tallies with the accused's claim of smoking around 20 joints daily. An examination of Buttigieg's assets did not result in any proof the man earned his living off drug trafficking. Magistrate Miriam Hayman sentenced the 50-year-old to three and a half years' imprisonment and fined him €3,000. Buttigieg was also ordered to pay €4,556 in court fees. Thief's accomplice handed suspended jail term THE court handed a two-year jail term, suspended for four years, after finding a man guilty of aiding a thief in robbing five residences. Christopher Schembri, 30 of Sliema was accused of aiding Matthew Camilleri break into a private residence in Mosta. Camilleri is facing separate charges. Schembri was also charged with stealing €750 from an ATM in Santa Venera using a stolen VISA card, handling stolen property and relapsing. Inspector Jonathan Ransley prosecuted while lawyer Franco Debono appeared for the accused.