It would be much wiser had public funds earmarked for a second interconnector been used to substantially increase the country’s capacity to generate renewable energy and to strengthen the electricity distribution system. This missed investment would have brought us closer to the goal of zero carbon and importantly would have drastically reduced the practically total dependence of the country on foreign sources for the energy we need. ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo and the Secretary General Ralph Cassar made this point during a press conference in Birzebbuġa next to solar panels in the Freeport carpark. They insisted that Malta urgently needs an energy policy that looks at the long-term.
The Greens’ Secretary General Dr. Ralph Cassar stressed that the European Union’s warning about the unsustainability of blanket subsidies on electricity prices should open the government’s eyes and push government to drastically speed up the ecological transition towards renewable energy and zero-carbon buildings. Instead what we have is messaging which gives the impression that we can keep going on without change. The government and all Maltese MEPs should stop opposing the inevitable and work to ensure that our country reaps the benefits of the ecological transition, with its opportunities for improvement in everyone’s quality of life.
Government should take action and of its own accord commit to change the weak target of 11.5% of renewable energy from the total gross energy consumption by 2030, to 50% by 2030. The target of 11.5% has actually already been reached, but even this target can end up irrelevant if the country continues to import and use electricity generated from fossil fuels or electricity from non-renewable sources.
To reach ambitious goals in renewable energy it is essential that we start preparing for the implementation of the European Union directive on zero-carbon buildings as soon as possible, so that when the directive is finally approved the country will be already prepared for the necessary changes. Unfortunately all the Maltese Members of the European Parliament, Labour and PN, voted against this European directive. They voted against making buildings zero-carbon.
ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo explained that government owns many buildings and can kickstart the move to zero-carbon buildings by ensuring that all public buildings become zero-carbon in a relatively short time. It also has the tools to ensure that the construction industry puts on the market properly buildings built to high standards. We have reached a point where speculators are being allowed to put property which doesn’t meet basic energy efficiency and insulation standards on the market at exorbitant prices. Energy efficient buildings and the generation of electricity from the roofs of all buildings must become the norm enforced by law. We have no choice.
It would have been much better to invest sensibly in locally generated renewable energy, instead of wasting the millions of Euros on a new interconnector. This investment, including an investment in the strengthening of the electricity distribution system would have translated into the creation of new jobs in Malta, instead of exporting millions of Euros abroad. There is an urgent need to reserve areas for renewable energy related activity in our seas. There should be a policy requiring all commercial buildings to have photovoltaic panels. It is clear that the government is not interested in pushing the construction industry to build carbon-zero buildings. The government is not even interested in requiring the installation of solar water heaters and photovoltaic systems on buildings, not on new large projects, let alone pushing for the renovation and modernization of existing buildings.
Our country needs to be ambitious. A target of 50% for renewable energy generation till 2030 would be a huge leap forward. Without ambitious goals, the goal of zero carbon by 2050 will certainly not be achieved and we will remain completely dependent on foreign sourced and polluting fossil fuels. We will have to pay, either through taxes or directly, the true price of energy from foreign sources, if Malta does not drastically increase its share of renewable energy in its energy mix. It is also essential that we face the reality of the urgent need for buildings in our country to move towards zero-carbon as quickly as possible. This is the only way in which we can hope, not only to reach our targets, but also to reduce drastically our dependence on foreign sources of energy for the country’s needs.
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Politika tal-enerġija li tħares fit-tul
Ikun ferm għaqli li flok ma jinħlew fondi pubbliċi fuq it-tieni interconnector, dawn jintużaw biex tiżdied l-kapaċità tal-pajjiż li jiġġenera enerġija rinovabbli. Dan flimkien ma tisħiħ aċċellerat tas-sistema tad-distribuzzjoni tal-elettriku mhux biss iqarribna iktar lejn il-mira ta’ żero-karbonju imma jnaqqas drastikament id-dipendenza kważi totali li għandna fuq sorsi barranin għall-enerġija li neħtieġu. Dan qaluh iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Carmel Cacopardo u s-Segretarju Ġenerali Ralph Cassar f’konferenza stampa f’Birzebbuġa ħdejn stallazzjoni ta’ pannelli solari fil-carpark tal-Port Ħieles, dwar politika tal-enerġija li tħares fit-tul u li tnaqqas id-dipendenza fuq sorsi enerġetiċi barranin.
Is-Segretarju Ġenerali Dr Ralph Cassar saħaq illi t-twissija tal-Unjoni Ewropea dwar in-nuqqas ta’ sostenibilità tas-sussidji tal-prezzijiet tal-elettriku lil kulħadd għandhom jiftħu għajnejn il-gvern biex iħaffef b’urġenzat-tranżizzjoni lejn enerġija rinovabbli u bini żero-karbonju. Ma jistax ikun li jintbgħatu messaġġi li kollox ‘business as usual’. Il-gvern u l-Membri Parlamentari Ewropej Maltin kollha għandhom jieqfu jopponu l-inevitabbli u jaraw kif pajjiżna jutilizza t-tranżizzjoni ekoloġika bħala opportunità għal titjib fil-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħna lkoll.
Il-gvern għandu jieħu l-inizjattiva u jikkommetti ruħu biex il-mira fjakka ta’ 11.5% ta’ enerġija rinovabbli mit-total gross tal-konsum tal-enerġija sal-2030, jgħolliha għal 50% sal-2030. Il-mira ta’ 11.5% filfatt diġà intlaħqet, imma anke dil-mira tista’ tispiċċa fix-xejn jekk il-pajjiż se jkompli jimporta u juża elettriku iġġenerat minn fuels fossili jew elettriku minn sorsi mhux rinovabbli!
Biex nilħqu miri ambizzjużi fl-enerġija rinovabbli huwa essenzjali li d-direttiva dwar bini żero-karbonju tal-Unjoni Ewropea nibdew nippreparaw għall-implimentazzjoni tagħha malajr kemm jista’ jkun, biex meta tkun approvata definittivament inkunu imħejjija. Sfortunatament il-Membri Parlamentari Ewropej Maltin kollha ivvutaw kontra din id-direttiva. Ivvutaw kontra li l-bini kollu jsir żero-karbonju.
Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party, Carmel Cacopardo kompla jispjega illi l-gvern għandu bosta binjiet u jista’ jibda billi jiżgura l-binjiet pubbliċi kollha jsiru żero-karbonju f’qasir żmien. Għandu wkoll l-għodda biex jiżgura li l-industrija tal-bini tpoġġi fuq is-suq binijiet mibnija kif suppost bi standards għoljin. Wasalna f’punt li l-ispekultauri qed jitħallew ipoġġu fuq is-suq propjetà ta’ livell baxx bi prezzijiet eżorbitanti. Effiċjenza enerġetika għolja tal-bini u l-ġenerazzjoni tal-elettriku mill-bjut tal-bini kollu għandu b’ippjanar serju jsir in-norma infurzata bil-liġi. M’għandniex għażla.
Ikun ferm aħjar li ninvestu bis-sens u flok ma naħlu l-miljuni ta’ Euro fuq interconnector ġdid, ninvestuhom fuq enerġija rinovabbli u nadifa, iġġenerata f’pajjiżna stess. Dan l-investiment, inkluż investiment fit-tisħiħ aċċellerat tas-sistema tad-distribuzzjoni tal-elettriku jissarraf fil-ħolqien ta’ impjiegi ġodda f’Malta, minflok nibgħatu miljuni kbar ta’ Euro barra mill-pajjiż, u b’hekk insostnu impjiegi barra minn xtutna. Hemm il-ħtieġa urġenti li nirriservaw żoni għal attività konnessa mal-enerġija rinovabbli fl-ibħra tagħna. Għandu jkun hemm politika li tesiġi li l-binjiet kummerċjali kollha jkollhom pannelli fotovoltajiċi. Huwa ċar li il-gvern mhux interessat li jimbotta lill-industrija tal-kostruzzjoni biex tibni bini karbonju-żero. Il-gvern lanqas m’hu interessat li jesiġi li jkun hemm l-installazzjoni tas-sistemi ta’ solar water heaters u sistemi fotovoltajiċi fuq il-bini, la fuq proġetti kbar ġodda, aħseb u ara r-rinnovament u l-immodernizzar ta’ bini eżistenti.
Għanda bżonn miri ambizzjużi. Mira ta’ 50% għall-ġenerazzjoni ta’ enerġija rinovabbli sal-2030 tkun ħafna aktar addattata għal dak li għandna bżonn. Mingħajr miri ambizzjużi it-tir ta’ żero-karbonju sal-2050 żgur mhux se jintlaħaq u se nibqgħu dipendenti għal kollox fuq fuels fossili li se jkomplu jogħlew u li l-pajjiż ikollu jimporta. Se jkollna nħallsu, minn imneħirna il-prezz veru tal-enerġija minn sorsi barranin, jekk Malta ma żżidx drastikament l-enerġija rinovabbli. Huwa essenzjali li ma naħarbux r-realtà tal-bżonn urġenti li l-bini f’pajjiżna jimxi lejn żero-karbonju malajr kemm jista’ jkun. Huwa b’hekk biss li mhux biss nilħqu l-miri tagħna imma ukoll innaqqsu d-dipendenza tagħna fuq sorsi barranin għall-ħtiġijiet enerġetiċi tagħna.
