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 Enterprise chairman to sue for libel over ‘mafia connection’ report
The chairman of Malta Enterprise, Lawrence Zammit, is expected to file for libel against GWU organ l-orizzont, over a report linking him to a company whose assets were frozen due to its connections to the Sicilian mafia. A 2011 investigation by Sicilian investigators in Palermo yielded direct links between the most wanted Mafia boss, to a wind farm project in a series of companies which funneled money through an elaborate scheme of financial transactions that eventually ends up in a . . . Complete story »
Sicilian judges freeze Mafia money in Valletta-based company
Known to be the current 'boss of bosses' to Sicily's notorious 'Cosa Nostra', Denaro was always considered to be the Mafia's most prolific financial brain, who invested and laundered billions of drug and extortion money all over the world, including Malta on various occasions. On the run for the past 25 years, Denaro has this week hit the headlines in Italy for his connections to the highly lucrative sector of renewable energy. Months of investigations in Palermo have yielded Denaro's links to Sicily's wind farm energy, through a series of companies which generate governmental contracts, and money which is then funnelled through an elaborate scheme of financial transactions, and eventually end up in a company registered to an address in Archbishop Street, in Valletta. Complete story »
Labour slams government on over-reliance on wind energy
Labour spokesperson for environment and sustainable development Leo Brincat has accused the Nationalist government of failing in its efforts to meet Malta’s 10% alternative energy generation target, and for neglecting to explore solar energy by over-relying on wind energy instead. Brincat’s statement is the latest in a spate of accusations and rebuttals between Labour and government which followed in the wake of the recent announcement of the development of a floating €15 million turbine project off the coast of Mellieha. . . . Complete story »
Floating wind turbine planned
A temporary floating turbine is to be installed off Mellieħa in a €15 million study on the impact the planned wind farm could have on birds. The Government is expected to issue a call for tenders this week for the lease of the turbine, which will be used to study the impact on colonies of shearwater and other birds. The birds’ flight path happens to run through the area chosen for the wind farm, the reef off Mellieħa known as . . . Complete story »
Government exploring possibilities of Gozo windfarm
The Gozo Ministry has applied to set up a 60-metre wind mast at il-Hotba tal-Imgieret, to the west of Wied Mielah in Gharb Gozo. A spokesperson for the Ministry for Gozo, which presented the application to The Malta Environment and Planning Authority, confirmed that the testing is aimed at exploring the potential for the development of wind energy sources in Gozo. “Through the wind measurements collected through this research project as well as data collected so far at other sites . . . Complete story »
No takers for wind data report
No one has bothered to purchase a wind data report commissioned by the government for the planned wind farm at Is-Sikka l-Bajda, PL environment spokesman Leo Brincat said today. He said the government’s plans and statements about this project were not being taken seriously, as evidenced by the lack of takers for the €3,000-a-copy report. Mr Brincat noted that while, last February, Resources Minister George Pullicino claimed that wind turbines were technically viable at Is-Sikka l-Bajda, the government, even after . . . Complete story »
More studies to confirm viability of wind farm
Scientists have requested a two-year extension to the L-Aħrax Point wind mast permit to confirm results on the viability of an offshore wind farm at Mellieħa’s Sikka l-Bajda, which will provide electricity for some 40,000 households. Another two years of collecting data would reduce the margin of error when extrapolating the results to cover the 20-year wind farm lifetime. Tonio Sant, director of the University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, which is overseeing the collection, correlation and analysis of the data . . . Complete story »
More potential problems for Sikka l-Bajda wind farm …with publication of EU guidelines
Risk of collision with wind turbines, habitat loss and degradation are some of the potential impacts of wind-energy developments on nature and wildlife that should be mitigated, according to recently issued EU guidelines on the design of wind farms near protected sites. The recent publication of guidelines on the design of wind farms intends to minimise disturbance to birds and bats living in the EU’s Natura 2000 sites, and advocates that member states avoid projects that go against the EU’s . . . Complete story »
Wind farm project to be launched soon
Malta fully agrees with the renewable energy targets set for it by the European Commission and will be launching a multi-million euro initiative for the development of an offshore wind farm soon. Speaking at the end of a two-day EU summit in Brussels yesterday, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the government had contacted foreign companies on the possibility of developing an offshore wind farm and will soon set out to better explain its electoral pledges regarding alternative energy. “We promised . . . Complete story »
Large scale wind farms on land not justified, Government says
The construction of a large scale wind farm on land would not be justified when considering its impact and the electricity generated, Minister Ninu Zammit said. In reply to a parliamentary question by Opposition MP Charles Mangion on Tuesday, the Minister for Resources and Infrastructure tabled the report compiled by Mott MacDonald on ‘Renewable Energy in Malta’. Minister Zammit said the report studied a number of sites on land for the generation of electricity from wind and the impacts associated . . . Complete story »
