Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/893950
8 News MATTHEW VELLA MALTA is importing energy from the European market from plants running on different fuels, as well as solar and wind farms. However, Enemalta did not provide a specific breakdown of the energy sources imported via the Malta-Sicily interconnector, when requested by MaltaToday. In 2016, Enemalta generated over 1.52 million megawatt- hours (MWh) of energy through the interconnector, almost 68% of all energy generated, the rest being from the Delimara power plants. In 2015, the interconnec- tor provided 46% of Malta's en- ergy needs. "Electricity purchased through the interconnector is derived from the Sicilian distribution network, which is constantly supplied by several sources, in- cluding power plants running on different types of fuels, grid connected solar and wind farms as well as the island's intercon- nections with mainland Italy," a company spokesperson said. Electricity imported through the Interconnector is purchased through an agreement with Enel Trade, the trading arm of Italian energy multinational Enel. "Through this agreement, En- emalta is not restricted to spe- cific sources in Sicily or in other countries, but instead purchases electricity from any market chan- nel that offers the most advanta- geous rates, including the same day market for emergency or immediate requirements, and the day ahead market for short- term changed requirements," the spokesperson said. Malta has a 200MW plant fired by liquefied natural gas oper- ated by the Electrogas consor- tium (SOCAR, Siemens, and the Gasan-Fenech business groups), whose LNG is delivered by tank- er. Another plant, known as the 'BWSC' plant, is owned by Chi- nese state entity Shanghai Elec- tric Power, which owns a 33% stake in Enemalta. "Enemalta invested in several projects to transform its elec- tricity generation mix, gradually ending the use of old HFO-fired plants and introducing a new selection of sources including low-emission and cost-effective gas-fired power stations, the Malta-Italy interconnector, re- newable energy sources and gasoil-fired plants on standby," a company spokesperson said. This combination of local sources and subsea interconnection, which came on stream in its entirety in the beginning of 2017, has signifi- cantly consolidated the country's security of supply, since the Mal- tese islands are now no longer de- pendent on one large single source for their energy requirements." In 2016, the generation of 2.24 million MWh in electricity de- creased by 0.4% over the previous year. Malta registered the highest power generation in 2007 with 2.3 million MWh, followed by 2008 with 2.27 million MWh. During the last four years, gen- eration of energy from renewable sources registered a substantial increase, from 35,447 megawatt- hours in 2013, to 133,419 MWh in 2016. Almost 94% of this energy was produced from photovoltaic cells, while the remainder was derived from either micro-wind plants or combined heat and power plants. In 2016, emissions from power plants also dropped by 34.8% over 2015, mainly due to the use of the interconnector. mvella@mediatoday.com.mt maltatoday SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER 2017 No breakdown yet of energy sources for interconnector