The blackout this week when our country was hit by a storm reveals once again how the lack of planning in various areas of  infrastructure and the country’s unsustainable economic model means one crisis after another. From fountains of sewage, flooded roads and a wonky electricity distribution system. ADPD-The Green Party speakers addressed the energy crisis and, more importantly, the action that needs to be taken at a press conference this morning.

ADPD – The Green Party Secretary General, Dr Ralph Cassar explained how the energy sector needs urgent attention not only because of the climate emergency but also for health and economic reasons. Government’s bragging about subsidies showered on everyone irrespective of consumption is leading to unnecessary waste and does not encourage a switch to more efficient energy sources.

If there had been planning by successive governments, today our country would have been enjoying the benefits of renewable energy sources and we would not depend so much on imported energy such as from the interconnector, soon to become two! We should have set up a system of renewable energy cooperatives. All public buildings should be generating the energy they need by now. Indeed all industrial roof space and at the very least all new buildings should be generating electricity. Are there any plans for all roof space available to be utilised for energy generation?

Two days ago Miriam Dalli announced a public consultation exercise about offshore wind turbines. In principle we agree that all sources of renewable energy should be explored and pursued. Government should in fact have started with the low lying fruit and started from its own roof space, from industrial roof space and eventually by mandating the use of all roof space in the country to generate solar energy. According to the National Office of Statistics in 2022, the commercial sector generated 52.0% of total kWp from photovoltaic panels, followed by 45.6% and 2.3% by households and by the public sector respectively. Industrial zones can also host land-based wind turbines.

Public opinion favours renewable sources of energy, including offshore wind turbines. However for an informed, serious and technical discussion and an effective consultation exercise government should publish all the information and studies on which it is basing its decisions. An effective consultation exercise leads to better decisions. The document issued by government asks generic questions, akin to questions in a school comprehension exercise (see annex). We demand a detailed explanation of the government’s vision and an explanation of the reasons behind government’s policy. All studies should be published in their entirety. 

We reiterate our call for the generation of at least 50% of all electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The government’s target of 11.5% by 2030 is risible, as are the €74 million promised for renewable energy over 20 years, while hundreds of millions are being given in subsidies to everyone regardless of consumption. Can Miriam Dalli confirm this figure? What are the government’s plans for the proportion of energy from different renewable sources?  remained the same? Today’s situation further proves that this government has continued where the previous administration had left off, with fragmented, piecemeal policies for the energy sector, concluded Cassar.

ADPD – The Green Party  Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that despite the crisis in electricity distribution this summer, nobody carried the can. In a country where everyone clings to the seat of power no one seems to be responsible for their actions. Typical of the culture of friends of friends that Labour has adopted, no one seems to have bothered to ask for Enemalta CEO Jonathan Cardona’s qualifications. From a passport ‘salesperson’ at Castille, Cardona was catapulted to CEO of Enemalta. The appointment of people from Labour’s inner-circle to delicate places of responsibility, smacks of nepotism paid for through people’s taxes. All this while their quality of life regresses.

Minister Miriam Dalli herself did not feel that she had to take responsibility for her incompetence and ended up blaming the heat for ‘melting underground cables’. However, blackouts also occurred this week, when surely she couldn’t blame the heat. The reality is that we have a crumbling system that does not keep up with the growing demand for energy because of overdevelopment, and  population growth including mass tourism over the years. No planning and foresight whatsoever, for the predictable.

In light of this emergency ADPD-The Green Party has presented a set of proposals. Among the things we are proposing are smart grids which monitors energy flows and demand and adjusts to changes in energy supply and demand.

Gauci insisted that there is a need for a moratorium on large developments. Overdevelopment has meant less natural sinks for rain water and flooded roads. A huge number of buildings also illegally dispose of rain water in sewers, leading to sewage shooting out of manholes practically everytime it rains. flooding everytime it rains.

We want an economy based on wellbeing. Currently Malta’s economy is based on the exploitation of people, overdevelopment, the excessive use of our natural resources and the almost total dependence on imported energy. There is a need for an economic model based on  people’s quality of life and the common good, in which social and ecological limits are respected, Gauci concluded.

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Il-kriżi tal-enerġija – sintomu ta’ nuqqas ta’ ippjanar tal-infrastruttura

Wara li din il-ġimgħa erġajna rajna qtugħ ta’ dawl meta pajjiżna intlaqat minn maltempata, erġajna rajna kif in-nuqqas ta’ ippjanar f’oqsma diversi fl-infrastruttura juri li jekk ma nibdlux il-mudell ekonomiku ta’ pajjiżna li jiffoka aktar fuq il-kwalità tal-ħajja se nibqgħu ngħaddu minn kriżi għal oħra. Minn żbroff ta’ drenaġġ, toroq jegħrqu u elettriku ġej u sejjer. Dan qaluh kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party dalgħodu meta indirizzaw konferenza stampa dwar din is-sitwazzjoni.

Is-Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD – The Green Party, Dr Ralph Cassar spjega kif is-settur tal-enerġija għandu bżonn jingħata attenzjoni urġenti mhux biss minħabba l-emerġenza klimatika imma ukoll għal raġunijiet ta’ saħħa, kif ukoll dawk ekonomiċi. Il-ftaħir dwar is-sussidji li qegħdin jingħataw lil kulħadd mhux talli qiegħed iwassal għal ħela bla bżonn imma mhux qiegħed jgħin biex jinkoraġixxi li wieħed jaqleb għal sorsi ta’ enerġija aktar effiċjenti.

Kieku kien hemm ippjanar minn gvernijiet suċċessivi kieku illum pajjiżna kien qiegħed igawdi aktar minn sorsi rinnovabbli u mhux jiddependi daqshekk minn enerġija importata bl-interconnectors li għal wieħed issa se nagħmlu tnejn. Missu għandna sistema ta’ koperattivi li jipproduċu enerġija rinovabbli. Il-binjiet pubbliċi misshom ilhom jiġġeneraw l-enerġija. L-ispazju fuq binjiet industrijali u tal-anqas il-bini ġdid kollu missu ilu li kienu obbligati jiġġeneraw l-elettriku. X’inhuma l-pjanijiet tal-gvern biex kull bejt jiġġenera l-elettriku?

Miriam Dalli jumejn ilu ħabbret konsultazzjoni dwar enerġija mir-riħ fuq il-baħar. Per prinċipju naqblu li għandhom jiġu esplorati s-sorsi kollha ta’ eneġija rinnovabbli. Il-gvern missu anzi beda mis-sorsi l-aktar faċli, bil-bini tiegħu stess u l-bjut kollha industrijali, u wara kull bejt fil-pajjiż biex tiġi ġenerata l-enerġija mix-xemx. Skont l-Uffiċċju Nazzjonali tal-Istatistika fl-2022, is-settur kummerċjali kellu 52.0% tal-kWp totali ġġenerati minn pannelli fotovoltajċi, segwit minn 45.6% u 2.3% fis-setturi domestiċi u pubbliċi, rispettivament. Żgur ukoll li f’żoni industrijali hemm lok ukoll għal turbini tar-riħ.

L-opinjoni pubblika hija favur sorsi nodfa ta’ enerġija, inkluż enerġija mir-riħ fuq il-baħar. Xorta iżda biex issir diskussjoni u konsultazzjoni infurmata dwar l-enerġija huwa importanti li l-gvern jippubblika l-informazzjoni u l-istudji kollha li saru dwar dan il-proġett. Konsultazzjoni serja tfisser deċiżjonijiet aħjar. Id-dokument maħruġ mill-gvern fih serje ta’ mistoqsijiet qisu ‘taħriġ il-fehem’ tal-iskola (anness). Minflok l-istudji li fuqhom hija bbażata l-viżjoni tal-gvern u li fuqhom il-gvern wasal għad-deċiżjonijiet tiegħu għandhom jiġu pubblikati fl-intier tagħhom. 

Nerġgħu nenfasizzaw li hemm bżonn naslu għal tal-anqas 50% tal-elettriku minn sorsi rinnovabbli sal-2030. Il-mira tal-gvern sal-2030 hija l-figura miżera ta’ 11.5% tal-elettriku ġġenerat. Kellna wkoll figura tad-daħk ta’ 74 miljun ewro mwegħda għall-enerġija rinnovabbli fuq medda ta’ 20 sena, filwaqt li mijiet ta’ miljuni qegħdin jingħataw f’sussidji lil kulħadd bl-addoċċ. Miriam Dalli tikkonferma dil-figura? Inbidlet? X’inhu l-pjan tal-gvern għall-proporzjon ta’ enerġija minn sorsi rinnovabbli differenti? Miriam Dalli tifhem li rridu nnaqqsu malajr l-użu tal-karburanti fossili? Is-sitwazzjoni tal-lum tkompli turi li dan il-gvern kompla fejn ħalla ta’ qablu, bi pjanijiet bl-iskossi u bil-biċċiet fil-qasam tal-enerġija, temm jgħid Cassar.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD- The Green Party Sandra Gauci qalet li wara l-kriżi li kellna fid-distribuzzjoni tal-elettriku ħadd ma refa’ r-responsabilità. F’pajjiż fejn kulħadd imwaħħal mas-siġġu tal-poter u ħadd donnu mhu responsabbli ta’ għemilu. Tipika tal-kultura tal-ħbieb tal-ħbieb li ormaj il-Labour kompla derriena fiha, possibbli ħadd ma saqsa għall-kwalifiki tas-CEO tal-Enemalta Jonathan Cardona? Biex laħaq CEO tal-Enemalta intagħżel direttament minn Kastilja. Minn bejjiegħ tal-passaporti għal CEO tal-Enemalta. Ta’ din l-inkapaċità ta’ nies f’postijiet delikati u ta’ responsabilità, jħallas il-poplu bit-taxxi tiegħu u billi jara l-kwalità tal-ħajja tiegħu dejjem sejra lura.

Il-Ministru Miriam Dalli lanqas ma ħasset li kellha terfa r-responsabbilta’ tal-inkompetenza tagħha u spiċċat weħħlet fis-sħana li dewbet il-cables taħt l-art. Dil-ġimgħa iżda mhux is-sħana qatgħet id-dawl! Mhux talli uriet in-nuqqas ta’ serjetà imma ppruvat tgħaddi lin-nies minn għajn il-labra. Il-fatti juru li s-sistema ma tlaħħaqx mad-domanda dejjem tikber għall-enerġija u sistema ta’ distribuzzjoni li ma ġietx aġġornata għat-tkabbir tal-popolazzjoni inkluż l-impatt tat-turiżmu tul s-snin. Tħalla kollox għal riħu. Management by crisis.

Hu fid-dawl ta’ din l-emerġenza li aħna ta’ ADPD – The Green Party ħriġna bil-proposti tagħna biex ikun hemm naqra ordni fejn jirrenja l-kaos. Fost l-affarijiet li qed nipproponu hemm l-ismart grids li bihom nistgħu nimmonitoraw il-flussi tal-enerġija li jaġġustaw għall-bidliet fil-provvista u d-domanda tal-enerġija. Gauci insistiet li hemm bżonn ta’ moratorium fuq żviluppi kbar u mhux nimlew kullimkien bini, b’ħafna mill-bini jbattal l-ilma tal-bjut illegalment fid-drenaġġ. Mhux ta’ b’xejn li l-ilma tax-xita ma jkollux minn fejn jgħaddi. Mhux ta’ b’xejn jiżbroffa d-drenaġġ b’naqra xita. Għandna bżonn ekonomija li tħares lejn il-kwalità tal-ħajja.

Din hija l-aktar ħaġa importanti u fuq fomm kulħadd. Bħalissa l-ekonomija ta’ Malta hija bbażata fuq l-isfruttar tan-nies, l-iżvilupp bla rażan, l-użu eċċessiv tar-riżorsi naturali tagħna u d-dipendenza kważi totali fuq enerġija minn barra. Hemm bżonn ta’ mudell ekonomiku li jiggarantixxi l-kwalità tal-ħajja tan-nies u l-ġid komun, fejn il-limiti soċjali u ambjentali jiġu rispettati, temmet tgħid Gauci.