Resources Minister George Pullicino today awarded Alberta Photovoltaic
Consortium with a letter of intent to install 67,000 square meters, or the area
of 15 football pitches, of photovoltaic systems on the rooftops of government
buildings in Malta.
“This
company won the tendering process after 15 companies expressed interest. This
investment will amount to around €20 million and will help Malta towards its
10% target of 2020,” Pullicino said.
The
letter of intent was awarded on the eve of the International Renewable Energy
Agency (IRENA) conference to be hosted by the Ministry for Resources and Rural
Affairs in Malta.
“The
conference will see ministers travelling to Malta to discuss renewable energy
and islands during this global summit including the Maldives, Seychelles,
Jamaica, Samoa and more,” Pullicino said.
The
government identified a number of public buildings as sites for solar energy
installations by Alberta on behalf of the resources ministry.
“These
buildings do not just include ministries and schools, but also the roofs of
reservoirs such as four in Ta’ Cenc and three in Ta’ Qali,” the minister
explained.
This
project is aimed at producing renewable energy as Malta struggles to reach its
target set by the EU renewable energy directive.
Malta's
current renewable energy production is still at 0.4% of its gross final energy
consumption, ten years ahead of its 2020 target to produce 10% of energy
through alternative energy sources.
Until
now, Malta is the only member state among the EU27 that still depends totally
on fossil fuels to produce all its electricity needs.
Pullicino
said that unlike other larger countries, Malta does not have the “luxury” of
excessive space where solar or wind farms can be constructed.
“We
have to take advantage of what little space we have because apart from the
already developed areas, Malta has space which is of agricultural value,
aesthetic value and historical value which needs to be conserved,” Pullicino
said.
The
2009 Directive on renewable energy set individual targets for all Member
States, such that the EU will reach a 20% share of total energy consumption
from renewable sources by 2020. These targets take into account the Member
States' different starting points, renewable energy potential and economic
performance.
Recently,
the European Commission sent a reasoned opinion to Malta and three other member
states, for not complying with their legal obligation to inform Brussels of
their transposition of the Renewable Energy directive.
Increasing
the share of renewable energy to 20% in the EU energy consumption by 2020
relies on the commitment of member states to fully implement the requirements
of EU legislation.
To
reach these targets, member states have to lay down rules, for example for
improving the grid access for electricity from renewable energy sources, the
administrative and planning procedures, information and training of installers.
Malta’s
dependence on oil will be partly reduced by connecting Malta to the European
energy grid through an interconnector. A 200-megawatt interconnector will link
Malta to Sicily and is set to be operational by 2013.
As
for wind energy, the government's original plan presented in 2006 was to
exclude near-shore and land-based wind farms in favor of a wind farm located in
deep waters for which an international call for expression of interest was
issued. But the technology for this kind of development was still at an
experimental stage at the time.
After
the 2008 election the government changed its policy by opting for a near shore wind
farm at Sikka l-Bajda and two smaller land based farms in Hal Far and Bahrija.
However, the efficiency and environmental impact of the wind farms are still
being assessed.
