Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/307854
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 7 MAY 2014 7 News Notice of meeting to be held in public e Malta Environment & Planning Authority will meet on ursday 8 th May 2014 at 14:00 hours at the MEPA boardroom, St. Francis Ravelin, Floriana, to discuss the following: DETERMINATION OF DEVELOPMENT CONTROL APPLICATION: PA 3666/09: Site at, Valletta Waterfront Promenade, Pinto Stores, Triq Pinto, Floriana (reconsideration) Sanctioning of service provider booths (8 in no. 2.2m cubes on wheels), MTA timber booth and the provision of awnings. DETERMINATION OF PLANNING CONTROL APPLICATION: PC 0027/12: Site at, Ta' Gok/Ta' Pacokk, Triq Hagret L-Armi, Triq is-27 ta' Novembru 1678, Xewkija, Gozo. To establish building height, zoning and road alignment of the Rationalization Exercise. Subject to the maximum seating capacity, seats can be reserved on request for the applicant and registered objectors. Remaining seating is lled on a rst come rst served basis. RESERVATIONS: 2290 2018 02 nd May, 2014 www.mepa.org.mt Ministry accuses PN of 'creating obstacles' PAGE 1 When asked point blank by presenter Saviour Balzan whether the agreement had been signed or not, Cardona replied that he was not the minister responsible for energy. Earlier this week a European Commission report expressed concern that "delays" in the planned construction of the new power plant posed a downside risk to otherwise "robust" growth projections. But the energy ministry made it clear the project will be delivered in line with Enemalta's business plan, and accused the Opposition of "consistently trying to create obstacles in the process". It confirmed that the gas plant agreement would be signed this week with ElectroGas consor- tium. ElectroGas was chosen as the preferred bidder for the new gas purchase agreement in October 2013. In December, the tender was officially awarded to ElectroGas after the consortium submitted a final price of 9c6 per kWh, for the supply of gas during the first five years of the 18-year agreement. The ElectroGas consortium is formed by the Azerbaijan state gas company SOCAR, German mul- tinational Siemens, West African owned Gasol plc, and local GEM Holdings Ltd which includes the Gasan and Tumas groups. On 24 March 2014, MEPA issued a planning permit for the berthing of a massive LNG tanker in Mar- saxlokk bay where the gas supply for a new power station and the existing BWSC built plant will be stored. MEPA has yet to issue an Integrated Pollution and Preven- tion Control (IPPC) permit. Three days before the permit was approved by MEPA, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat claimed that the Maltese government had "an agreement" with Electrogas to remove the LNG tanker once a gas pipeline connecting Malta to the rest of the EU is in place. PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD Increase in stock of licensed motor vehicles during first quarter Download the MaltaToday App now THE stock of licensed motor ve- hicles stood at 325,158 at the end of March, up by 0.7% over the previous quarter. At the end of March, the stock of licensed motor vehicles stood at 325,158. Of these, 79.3%were passenger cars, 14.3% were com- mercial vehicles and 5.3% were motorcycles, while buses and minibuses accounted for less than 1%. New licences issued during the period under review amounted to 4,401. The majority of new li- cences (3,615 or 82.1% of the to- tal) were issued to passenger cars, followed by goods-carrying ve- hicles, with 410. Newly licensed 'new' motor vehicles amounted to 1,783, or 40.5% of the total, and newly licensed 'used' motor vehi- cles totalled 2,618. In the first quarter, 50 vehicles were exported. Garaged vehi- cles amounted to 2,107, while scrapped vehicles totalled 967. As at the end of March, 197,413 vehicles, or 60.7% of the total, had petrol engines. Vehicles with diesel engines reached 126,951, or 39.0% of the total. Energy and Health Minister Konrad Mizzi