ADPD-The Green Party, in a statement about this weekend’s widespread power cuts in Gozo, said that ”the country’s infrastructure is not prepared, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli needs to take political responsibility for this failure and step aside without the further shedding of crocodile tears.”

The Greens added that this summer we have all been through the heatwave. ”The extreme weather that has hit us is not only inconvenient, but also a serious threat to our health.”

It added that ”last month, the Ministry of Health even stated that a significant number of vulnerable people have lost their lives due to the high temperatures that have hit the country.”

ADPD stressed that ”this year it has become clearer than ever how our infrastructure has once again been unable to keep up with demand. We have not been proactive and strengthened the infrastructure, as the population has started to increase sharply.”

It warned that ”we have not taken into account that each summer is becoming more severe than the previous one, as the climate continues to change. Power outages not only add to the misery that the heat brings at the height of summer; It leads to food waste as fridges remain switched off for long hours, disrupting the activity of many businesses.”

”This is apart from the fact that it poses a threat to the health of the vulnerable among us. This situation is unacceptable. The electricity supply on which we depend can no longer be managed in an amateurish manner. Seriousness and professionalism are needed,” the Greens said.

The Party stated that, ”we cannot say that this situation came about suddenly. The problem of electricity cuts in the hottest months of the year has been with us for a long time and it seems that what has been done has not been enough to guarantee a supply that you can rely on. It is difficult not to resort to using the air conditioner when temperatures reach 40.”

Mark Zerafa, a spokesperson for ADPD-The Green Party, concluded by saying that, “ADPD has been insisting for years that the distribution system needs to be updated to today’s times, in a way that reflects the current size of the population and the expected electricity consumption in the hottest months of the year, with a strong investment in renewable energy. At the same time, the state should motivate much more to improve energy efficiency in both residential and commercial properties. In this way, we ensure that the electricity generated is better utilised, while we move closer to the zero carbon target.”

Writing on Facebook on Saturday night, Minister Miriam Dalli said that ”Enemalta has now started to restore power to the remaining areas without supply in Gozo.

She noted that ”it has been a difficult 26 hours for everyone affected by these faults.”

”I would like to thank the Enemalta teams for their work to restore electricity supply to normal,” said the Minister. ”They worked day and night in difficult conditions to locate and repair the two major faults.”

The Minister concluded by saying that ”our commitment is to continue with the works that are part of our 9-year plan to continue strengthening electrical resilience, including that of the island of Gozo.”

Enemalta advised during Saturday that there were two ”major cable faults,” at Xewkija, where the first cable fault was identified on Friday night, crews excavated the damaged section of cable and jointing repair works got underway. Specialist cable jointers were in Gozo ”overseeing the repair.”

Work on the second fault, which was located along a section of the cable route on Comino, was started once the excavation equipment, which was transported by barge reached the site, it said.

Enemalta’s engineering team explained that locating and repairing faults on underground high-voltage cables can be a complex exercise because the cables extend for several kilometres.

“Once the fault is identified and the cable exposed, engineers then need to establish how far the damage extends before the affected section can be removed. Crucial tests also have to be carried out to establish if there is any moisture inside the cable as this could compromise its insulation and the integrity of the repair once electricity is restored.

“If the moisture test is passed, the damaged section can be removed and jointing works can begin. The repaired cable will then undergo further testing before it can safely be brought back into service,” the team said.

Photos: Enemalta

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