Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/885114
maltatoday, TUESDAY, 10 OCTOBER 2017 Budget 2018 11 Energy and water THE government has said it is currently working on the National Energy and Climate Plan for the 2020-2030 period, in conformity with the EU's targets for 2030. It said that it will remain committed to promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency, and will encourage the conservation of water in the domestic sector, through the use of a number of schemes. The government says it has done substantial progress in the last four years, including the generation of energy from cleaner sources, the new power station and the interconnector. Heavy fuel oil is no longer in use and the Marsa power sta- tion was closed down. It said the national energy policy will go forward based on the principles of the secure provision, the sustainability and the affordability of energy for everyone, with an effort to generate energy in the cleanest way possible. The government plans to introduce schemes to help families and industry be more energy efficient, and will continue to provide free audits aimed to help families use less water and electricity. The government maintains it is committed to continue strengthening the electrical distribution system at a faster rate and improving the level of service. A new distribution centre in Ricasoli will be commissioned to cater for the demand for en- ergy. In addition, the high volt- age network which provides energy to the Hal Far Indus- trial Estate will be improved. The government will be moreover extending the 11kV automation project with the aim of reducing the frequency and length of electricity inter- ruptions. The dismantling and demo- lition of the Marsa power sta- tion is progressing quickly, the government said. Enemalta is dismantling the last heavy fuel oil plan of the Delimara Power Station, since electricity is now being generated through gas- powered plants, the Malta-Sic- ily interconnector and renew- able energy sources. Automatic meter-manage- ment systems will be improved upon in order to simplify the calculation of consumption and charges. During 2018, ARMS Ltd will improve its Call Centre and the iSmart Utilities Portal. ARMS will also be operating its one-stop shop in more localities. Work on the implementation of the gas pipeline between Malta and Italy will continue, and throughout 2018 the gov- ernment will proceed with its environmental and technical studies in this regard. This should substitute the tempo- rary Floating Storage Unit in Delimara, the government said. The pipeline will connect Malta to the EU gas network and should increase the secu- rity of gas provision. New solar farms and reverse osmosis plant to be built, emphasis on water conservation Three polishing plants (two in Malta, one in Gozo), used for wastewater treatment to produce clean water for in- dustry and agriculture, have been commissioned and suc- cessfully tested, the govern- ment said. The Water Ser- vices Corporation will extend the distribution of this water to a wider range of customers. This should lead to an in- crease in national water re- sources through the provi- sion of seven million cubic metres of 'new water', the government claimed, and will result in a reduction in the extraction of water from the water table. Two new solar farms which will be placed on the roofs of unused Water Services Corporation wells, are to be commissioned in 2018, bring- ing the total amount of com- munal solar farms to three. These are expected to pro- vide one megawatt of energy annually over a period of 25 years. The government plans to continue improving existing reverse osmosis (RO) plants, and will be building a new RO plant in Hondoq ir-Rummien, Gozo, which will be able to produce around 9,000 cubic metres of water a day. This, the government says, will re- duce the dependency on the RO in Cirkewwa and on the Malta-Gozo pipeline. The government also plans to adopt a strategy placing more emphasis on the extrac- tion of groundwater, and to refurbish the Ta' Kandja and Ta' Bakkja pumping stations. A national campaign for wa- ter conservation, targeted at consumers, will be introduced. There will also be increased technological monitoring of all Malta's aquifer systems, the government said. Government committed to energy provision security, use of renewable energy and water conservation