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Wind Power News: Malta
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Malta police say they have started Montenegro wind farm investigations
The police say they have been investigating the Montenegro wind farm deal, now at the centre of corruption allegations, for some time. This emerged from a statement issued by the police following a story by Reuters and the Times of Malta, in which Dubai based company 17 Black was revealed to have made a previously undisclosed profit of €4.6 million when Enemalta bought a wind farm in Montenegro. The wind farm was acquired by Enemalta in a lucrative deal for . . . Complete story »
Exclusive: In Daphne murder investigation, money trail leads to Montenegro venture
In the months before her murder in 2017, Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was on the trail of an offshore company called 17 Black Limited. She didn’t know who owned the firm, which was registered in the United Arab Emirates. But she was certain it was set up to channel corrupt payments to her country’s leaders, she wrote in her blog, without providing evidence. Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bombing in October 2017. Last year, police charged one . . . Complete story »
Wind power ditched in favour of solar as government revisits renewable energy plans
Wind is out and solar farms are in under the government’s revised plan for reaching its 2020 renewable energy targets. Malta is obliged by the European Commission to generate 10 per cent of its energy from renewable sources within the next four years, as well as a separate 10 per cent target in the transport sector. The actual overall figure stood at 4.2 per cent in 2014. The original 2010 plan for reaching these targets put a heavy emphasis on . . . Complete story »
MEPA turns down Sikka l-Bajda wind farm
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has turned down the application presented by the previous government in 2009, for the development of a wind farm at is-Sikka l-Bajda that would have produced between 3.5% and 5.5% of Malta’s energy needs and more than half of Malta’s 10% renewable energy targets. Nationalist MP and MEPA board member Ryan Callus was the only member to vote against the recommended refusal on the project. Former environment minister George Pullicino insisted during the meeting . . . Complete story »
Directorate recommends refusal of wind farms development application
Nationalist MP George Pullicino expressed surprise this evening that the Mepa directorate is recommending refusal of a development application for a wind farm on Is-Sikka l-Bajda off Mellieha. Speaking in Parliament, Mr Pullicino said Malta could not ignore wind energy if it was to achieve its EU-mandated target of producing 10 per cent of its energy from renewable sources. He said he could not understand how the recommendation for refusal was being made when the full environmental impact study had . . . Complete story »
Government shifts renewable energy policy from wind to solar
Wind farm projects have been ruled out as studies indicated they are not possible or feasible in Malta, the permanent secretary in the Energy Ministry, Ronald Mizzi, said today. Addressing a news conference this morning, Mr Mizzi said the government was now basing its renewable energy policy to solar farms. According to new government plans, he said, Malta needed 2.7 square kilometres to produce five per cent of its renewable energy targets by 2010. Asked whether this was achievable in . . . Complete story »
Wind farms scrapped for solar energy
Solar energy farms will be the Labour government’s answer to the need for renewable energy in Malta, MaltaToday has learnt. The Ministry for Energy and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) are expected to publish a policy on solar farms in the coming weeks while the government is still consulting on the National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP). Bound by the EU 2020 targets, Malta must produce 10% of its energy through renewable sources by the year 2020. The . . . Complete story »
Mepa told government wind energy projects would have “unacceptable impacts”
The planning authority informed the government months ago there would be no point in pursuing further studies for a wind farm at Is-Sikka l-Bajda in Mellieħa because of “unacceptable impacts”. The Energy Ministry told Times of Malta recently that a decision on the wind farm would be taken once “technical, environmental and feasibility studies are concluded”. A Mepa spokesman told The Sunday Times of Malta that studies conducted already showed that the wind farm would have multiple significant impacts on . . . Complete story »
Money for turbines study may have gone with the wind
Hundreds of thousands of euros invested in assessing the viability of wind farms may have literally gone with the wind as the government seems increasingly reluctant to pursue the plan. Since last month, Times of Malta has been chasing answers to questions sent to the Energy Ministry on how Malta intends to achieve its interim targets on renewable energy following the surprising announcement by Minister Konrad Mizzi that it is on track. Malta’s performance on renewal energy so far has . . . Complete story »
Malta ‘far behind’ in wind energy targets, will not be met – President
President of the Republic George Abela today revealed that wind energy targets set by the PN administration will not be achieved by the Labour government as questions of viability are being raised. Abela was delivering his speech marking the opening of the twelfth parliament as he outlined government’s work for the coming five years. An essential part of government’s energy policy is to give a strong push to renewable energy if it is to meet the at least 4% 2020 . . . Complete story »
