Malta Solar Plans - 2020

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.