Malta’s first national policy and regulations for publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure have been launched during a joint press conference by the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise and the Regulator for Energy and Water Services (REWS).
The aim is to provide a holistic framework for the operation of publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure, opening up the market to private operators who wish to invest in this emerging sector. A potential investor would require an authorisation issued by the regulator. This does not affect the operation of charging points installed for own personal use or for the use of an entity’s own vehicle fleet – in such cases, an authorisation is not required.
To facilitate the process, a one-stop-shop and a helpline, 144, are being set up with the support of Business First and Malta Enterprise.
“By regularising the sector, the government is opening up the public charging infrastructure market to private operators, thus increasing services provided. The regulations will also support the green economy: as the demand increases, so will opportunities for green jobs”, stated Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise Miriam Dalli.
The minister reiterated that the decarbonisation of the transport sector was one of the country’s main pillars to obtain climate neutrality by 2050.
The government last year rolled out amongst Europe’s most advantageous tariffs for the charging of EVs, thus enabling and further encouraging the use of EVs. The number of EVs and plug-in hybrids on Maltese roads stands at around 10,000 vehicles today. Data published by the National Statistics Office showed that, as at end July 2022, electric and plug-in hybrid motor vehicles accounted for 2.3 per cent of the entire vehicle stock, with a total of 9,452.
REWS CEO Marjohn Abela explained that the new policy and regulations will encourage a shift away from fossil fuels, allowing the country to become more efficient in its use of energy whilst increasing its commitment towards climate protection.
