Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/786708
3 MIRIAM DALLI THE government has finally pub- lished the long-awaited agreements signed between Enemalta and Elec- troGas Malta, paving the way for a debate in parliament. ElectroGas Malta was the pre- ferred bidder to design, construct and operate a gas-fired power sta- tion and the supply of power to En- emalta for a period of 18 years. The government will today also publish separate contracts signed with Shanghai Electric for the sale of the BWSC plant and its conver- sion to gas. A parliamentary debate will take place tomorrow. Large chunks of the power pur- chase agreement were blacked out, with the government insisting that it needed to protect commercially- sensitive information. During a press briefing with members of the media ahead of the publication of the redacted contracts, Enemalta chairman Fredrick Azzopardi insisted that, questions such as the price rate by which Enemalta would be buy- ing electricity and the percentages making up the supply mix, could not be publicised for commercial reasons. Asked how the consumers should reassure themselves that they were indeed paying the cheapest price possible, Azzopardi insisted that the public was already enjoying 25% cheaper tariffs and the switch to gas will result in cleaner air. Prices are expected to remain un- changed till at least 2020. According to the power purchase agreement, the purchasing rate is fixed for the first five years, and indexed during the following five years. Enemalta officials present for the briefing went on to explain that Enemalta had a capacity planning and dispatch unit which worked round the clock to "nominate" the different sources of supply. The unit would be responsible from ordering the dispatch from the in- terconnector, the D3 plant and the D4 plant. Ronald Mizzi, permanent sec- retary within the OPM Ministry, added: "The government is trying to create a balance between trans- parency and information which is commercially-sensitive. Enemalta cannot prejudice its position as ul- timately it's all about competition." Flanked by representatives of le- gal firm Camilleri Preziosi, Mizzi said the contractual framework regulated the process, design, per- mitting, construction and opera- tion of the gas-fired power plant. Security of supply, Mizzi added, was also pivotal. Lawyer Ron Galea Cavalazzi in- sisted the publishing any commer- cially-sensitive information could "compromise" the benefits which Enemalta is enjoying from opening up the market to the private sector. The eight agreements published yesterday include the share transfer agreement – for which ElectroGas has paid €30 million – the imple- mentation agreement, the power purchase agreement, the gas supply agreement, the electricity connec- tion agreement, the site services agreement and the site lease deed. The contracts have been scru- tinized by the European Com- mission which has given its green light to the project: being the sole provider of electricity in Malta, En- emalta had to outsource to intro- duce a private partner in the Mal- tese energy sector. Enemalta, providing "a service of general interest", moved to out- source by developing an incentive through a power purchase agree- ment and a gas supply agreement. Both are fixed for the first five years, followed by five years where the price is "indexed". This 'incentive' required the Eu- ropean Commission's approval. The different agreements regu- late an array of issues – including studies, permits, construction, the planning and dispatch of gas, prod- uct specifications, and penalties and fines in cases of non-compli- ance. Parliament to debate Electrogas contracts tomorrow Parliament will tomorrow de- bate the Electrogas contracts after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat dis- missed the Opposition's calls for it to be postponed. Muscat had proposed that the Opposition scraps its parliamen- tary motion that called on the gov- ernment to publish its contracts with Electrogas and that a separate debate on the newly-published contracts be held next week, but the Opposition insisted that the de- bate be held on its original motion. The Opposition in 2015 presented a parliamentary motion that called on the government to publish its contracts signed with Electrogas. PN deputy leader Mario de Marco urged the Prime Minister to post- pone the debate to a future date, so as to give the Opposition time to read through the contracts. "The Opposition had not been in- formed that the contracts were go- ing to be published 24 hours before the parliamentary debate," he said. "We want an intelligent and in- formed debate, and not a superfi- cial one. These contracts are very long and technical, so how can we be expected to study them properly in time for a debate on Thursday morning?" However, Muscat insisted that the government was already being lenient in allowing the motion to be debated at all, arguing that the publication of the contracts has rendered it invalid. He proposed that the Opposition drop its motion and that the two parties agree on a date on which to hold a debate on the contracts, but without a vote at the end of the session. However, Opposition leader Si- mon Busuttil rejected the offer, arguing that the motion included 12 requests, of which only two re- ferred to the publication of the con- tracts. "We filed the motion two whole years ago, and the government now wants us to study the contracts in 24 hours. Isn't this supposed to be a government that is willing to offer us a hand of cooperation?" The debate is now being held to- morrow. TIM DIACONO THE Office of the Prime Minis- ter employs 83 people on a trust basis, information tabled in Par- liament has revealed. These include 23 people in "po- sitions of trust" who have fixed employment in government, as well as 60 "persons of trust" who have been given indefinite con- tracts. "This figure also includes peo- ple who were engaged as a result of Malta's presidency of the EU Council," Muscat said. "Under the previous administration, the Office of the Prime Minister em- ployed 62 people on a trust ba- sis, and this despite the fact that Malta didn't have the extra com- mitments it does now thanks to the EU Presidency." Elsewhere, finance minister Edward Scicluna revealed that his ministry employs 20 people on a trust basis – two people in positions of trust and 18 persons of trust. The information was revealed through parliamentary ques- tions raised by shadow justice minister Jason Azzopardi – who has tabled the question to every minister. It means that the Office of the Prime Minister – which also in- cludes staff who work for parlia- mentary secretary for planning Deborah Schembri and de facto energy minister Konrad Mizzi – employs more people on a trust basis than any other ministry. It is followed by Owen Bonni- ci's justice and culture ministry, which employs 66 people on a trust basis, and by Jose Herrera's environment ministry, which employs 65 such people. maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2017 News 83 people engaged on 'trust basis' at Office of the Prime Minister 23 people are employed in a position of trust and a staggering 60 people are engaged as 'persons of trust' at Office of the Prime Minister Redacted Delimara plant contract published, purchase rates blacked out The supply and storage of gas, and its specifications, are covered in a separate contract