Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/408403
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2014 News 11 amount of flexibility. Since the plant has separate en- gines, one or more engines can be switched off without a loss of ef- ficiency in the remainder of the plant. On the other hand the ElectroGas plant is less flexible as it would start losing efficiency as soon as produc- tion drops below 180 MW. The interconnector's flexibility will depend on the type of genera- tor which will be feeding the cable, but it does have the advantage of being owned by Enemalta, which could give Enemalta more say in varying the power it gets from the IC. Moreover using solely the Elec- troGas plant can cater for energy demand at night between January and June. This effectively means shutting off both the interconnec- tor and the BWSC plant at night. ElectroGas on its own can also ca- ter for a significant part of energy demand on a typical day in spring and autumn. "The Chinese are going in for an expensive conversion of the BWSC plant to gas. I am sure they are not going to sit by while BWSC works for a few hours a day," Edward Mal- lia told MaltaToday. What is sure is that having the three power sources – the Malta- Sicily interconnector, the Shanghai Electric plant and the new Electro- Gas plant – working at full power will create an energy surplus even in periods of peak demand. In none of the scenarios is the use of the three plants at full power re- quired. The only scenario where the inter- connector and the BWSC plant will be expected to provide a significant amount of energy is in peak sum- mer days. But while the new infra- structure can provide 550 MW of energy (renewables excluded), the maximum energy demand ever reg- istered in Malta between 2003 and 2012 was 434 MW in July 2007. The crux of the matter is the flex- ibility the government will have in determining the amount of en- ergy bought from Shanghai Electric Power and the Malta Sicily Inter- connector. Mallia warns that engineering flexibility may count for nothing if one of the three owners demands that the full output from his de- vice must be sold to Enemalta. It has already been hinted, if never explicitylt stated, that Enemalta has contracted to buy all the elec- tricity generated by the Electrogas CCGT. This is why "full details of the operational contracts are vital", ac- cording to Edward Mallia. In parliament Konrad Mizzi de- clared that the government had no obligation on the volume of elec- tricity it intends to buy from the Shanghai Electric Power. But according to Mallia this dec- laration needs to be carefully quali- fied, especially because Mizzi's first explanation for the delay was pend- ing discussions with Shanghai Elec- tric on the operation of the BWSC plant. Can the surplus energy be ex- ported? The prospect of exporting energy will depend on the contract signed for the Malta Sicily Interconnector and other technical details related to its construction. "What is certain is that it cannot be stored. If it cannot be exported it would not be produced in the first place," says Mallia. In an article penned last month Mallia linked the decision to aban- don wind energy in favour of solar energy to the over-abundance of energy Malta will have at night. "The sun, it was said, shines dur- ing the day (surprise, surprise); the wind blows at night and the power at night quite frequently slips be- low 200 MW. But with the pro- posed 200MW gas turbine, which cannot be turned down to deliver less than 180MW without loss of efficiency, the Sicily interconnector and the BWSC contribution, we do not need any help from wind." But can Malta still make it to achieve its 10% renewable energy target from solar energy and bio- mass? Mallia is mildly optimistic. "The recent heavy push on pho- tovoltaic energy is responsible for statements that for the first time Malta has reached an interim tar- get," he said. "But reaching an interim target can be an empty boast because you may have given it your best shot just to reach your interim target and be left with little or nothing in the tank". Malta need three sources? Maximum energy needed ac- cording to higher-ever regis- tered consumption [July 2007] Maximum energy that can be produced by all 3 sources being utilised fully Average energy demand in 2012, most recent statistical year available Peak demand during month with the least energy consumption, May, based on 2012 data Energy mix needed to provide for demand during night, based on January-June Energy mix needed to provide for demand during night, based on July-December 434MW 550MW 350MW 285MW 200MW 200MW 34-150MW 84-200MW 200MW 150MW 200MW 200MW 0-150MW 0-150MW 200MW 0-85MW 0-85MW 200MW 0MW 0MW 200MW 0-50MW 0-50MW 250MW How the 3 power sources will cater for maximum and average energy demand, assuming ElectroGas plant is constantly providing 200MW in all scenarios Combined Cycle Gas Turbine has max power of 200MW, to be built by ElectroGas [Gasol plc, GEM Holdings, SOCAR of Azer- baijan and Siemens] LNG-fi red CCGT plant owned by ElectroGas consortium BWSC plant, now 70% owned by Shanghai Electric Power Malta-Sicily Interconnector The BWSC plant has max power of 150MW and was built in addition to De- limara phase II's 110MW (which remains on stand- by), now 70% owned by Shanghai Electric Power Sole control rests with Enemalta or the Matese government, and has a max power of 200MW According to Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi, half of Malta's energy will be provided by ElectroGas and the other half through the BWSC plant, the interconnector, and renewable energy *Night fi gures based on Enemalta Statistics for 2001. Although overall pattern has not changed, the present levels are bound to be a little higher as overall electricity consumption has increased slightly. What is sure is that having the three energy sources working at full power will create an energy surplus even in periods of peak demand