Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/396532
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2014 4 News JAMES DEBONO NO date has been set yet by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for the approval of the In- tegrated Pollution Prevention Con- trol Permit (IPPC) for the new float- ing gas power station in Delimara. A MEPA spokesperson confirmed that a formal application for this permit has yet to be submitted even if the technical documentation relat- ing to the IPPC application has been submitted and is being reviewed. The government is committed to having the new power infrastruc- ture finalised by March 2015. Be- fore the election Joseph Muscat said he would step down should a gov- ernment led by him fail to deliver on its pledge to deliver the plant by March, 2015. Installations like power stations and large chemi- cal plants have to obtain an IPPC permit from MEPA to be allowed to operate. The permitting process ensures that these plants make use of the best available technology in their operations. The IPPC assesses the whole envi- ronmental performance of the plant, including matters like emissions into the air, water and land, genera- tion of waste, use of raw materials, energy efficiency, noise, prevention of accidents and risk management. A planning permit was approved by MEPA in February 2014 but a number of reports, including a nautical risk assessment and a cost benefit analysis being carried out as part of the IPPC process have yet not been published. Earlier this week Din l-Art Helwa called on MEPA to publish the Nau- tical Risk Assessment and the Cost Benefit Analysis. The Cost Benefit Analysis will re- veal the percentage of national de- mand provided by the new privately owned power station and the share of energy from other sources like the interconnector. According to the MEPA spokes- person a number of discussions are being carried out on a weekly basis. "Since this involves multiple oper- ators the application will be submit- ted once a way forward is agreed," the MEPA spokesperson told Mal- taToday. MaltaToday also asked MEPA for a list of the studies requested by MEPA but no answer was forth- coming. Neither did MEPA reply to the question on whether the IPPC permit will be concluded before the power station starts operating. In the case of new installations an IPPC permit has to be approved by the MEPA board before the com- mencement of operations. The temporary use of heavy fuel oil for the BWSC-constructed De- limara power station was approved through an IPPC permit granted during a stormy meeting of the MEPA board in December 2011. The permit was subsequently ex- tended by MEPA under the present administration. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Labour was elected on a platform pledging tariff reductions for households in 2014 and businesses in 2015: Muscat con- fidently declared he would resign if Labour does not meet its target, as recently as March 2014 on Dissett on TVM. But Konrad Mizzi has now told MaltaToday the LNG plant will not be delivered as per the original deadline. "In all fairness no, the project will not be completed by March 2015. The construction of the power sta- tion will take 18 months. There are several complexities involved in the project. But on the whole we deliv- ered on the main promise to reduce energy bills. Enemalta is still oper- ating and it is turning around with a strong balance sheet," Mizzi told MaltaToday. "The government will be in a posi- tion to confirm the completion date of the new power plant by end No- vember." Mizzi is currently in China meet- ing SEP for the finalisation of the share transfer transaction. He said that Electrogas was bound with clear timeframes, which are also tied to penalties, on the con- struction of the power plant. The consortium comprises London-list- ed Gasol plc, a West African energy company; Azerbaijan state-owned gas supplier SOCAR; Siemens, and Maltese business group Gem Hold- ings, namely the Gasan-Tumas busi- ness tandem. Mizzi has insisted that the forth- coming tariff reductions for busi- ness were not just based on the com- pletion of the LNG plant, but also on the turnaround of Enemalta's finances, the improvement in the energy distribution, the reduction of No date yet for floating power station's final permit Electrogas after Chinese NO-COST OPPORTUNITY FOR EMPLOYERS Operational Programme II - Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 Empowering People for More Jobs and a Better Quality of Life The Project is part-nanced by the European Union European Social Fund (ESF) Co-nancing rate: 85% EU Funds; 15% National Funds Investing in your future As part of the Youth Guarantee Programme, Government plans to provide up to 300 young, prospective first-time workers, who recently left secondary school, with a Work Exposure experience for a period of 12 working weeks, each of a duration of 20 hours. The benefits to volunteering, participating employers will be: 1. Added work-value from the young workers who will themselves be remunerated directly by Government for their hours of work over the Work Exposure period of 12 weeks; 2. The choice, at the end of the 12 weeks' Work Exposure, of retaining one or more of the trainees against European Social Funding of their salaries during a further Traineeship period of up to six months; and 3. A tax deduction of €600 in respect of every youth offered a full 6 months Traineeship by the particular employer. We can't think of a reason why an employer would pass this opportunity by and we expect to have to respond on a first-come first-served basis. We invite you to visit the ETC website www.etc.gov.mt, where we have uploaded expected questions with our answers, then call us for any clarifications and apply online before you lose out. For further information you may call on 2598 2280/2. Application for IPPC permit still not submitted as MEPA confirms 'weekly meetings' to agree on a "way forward" In all fairness, no, the project will not be completed by March 2015. The construction of the power station will take 18 months