At Castille, where he welcomed the social partners in a meeting of the Maltese Council for Economic and Social Development, the MCESD, the Prime Minister Robert Abela announced the immediate doubling of the investment on the system of electricity distribution.
“Our country has a plan that comes out of measures in the manifesto ‘Malta Flimkien’ regarding the strengthening of the electrical distribution,” said Dr. Abela and he explained that our country is already implementing the plan with an investment of €15 million on the improvement in the distribution system but the realities of the climate challenge clearly show that what can be done before, must be done before and therefore next year, the country will invest €30 million in this regard.
Prime Minister Robert Abela explained that as a country, on the advice of Enemalta’s technicians, we want to complete new distribution centers and expand others so that we have more new substations and kilometers of cables are added in favor of a more robust system. He went on to explain that an exercise was carried out where €40 million in other European funds were directed from the BREXIT Adjustment Fund towards the Recovery Plan, with a specific chapter known as RePower EU. He said that the Plan submitted by the Maltese Government was already considered to be the most environmentally sound one from the European Union and after its approval, it has now risen to almost €330 million, which means €70 million more of funds with which important reforms in the energy field will continue to be implemented.
Here he mentioned concrete actions that welcome climate change, including investment in renewable energy on buildings with shorter times to make them, a strong investment in the electric grid that is ready to welcome renewable energy and also plans of support for those who do works to increase the efficiency in the use of energy. The latter applies to public but also private buildings such as schools and offices.
Prime Minister Abela indicated that the economic transition that the Government is pushing must also be a major contributor to addressing today’s and tomorrow’s challenges including that linked to climate change. “It is a transition that must be based on quality, living in mutual respect in a society where respect is linked to discipline”, stressed the Prime Minister and he points out that we must always seek to reach higher levels. In this context he also mentioned initiatives that were taken to regulate sectors that have never been regulated including the reform of the licensing of contractors implemented and another reform launched in the last few days for the licensing of the builder.
The Prime Minister mentioned the collective because together we can make changes that serve the aspirations of today and tomorrow. He said that the Government was and will remain sensitive to the needs of people and businesses and explained how research is being done to design the scheme for compensation to those affected by the cut of the electricity supply in extraordinary circumstances caused by climate change. Robert Abela also announced that he has hired the Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana to draw up a protocol for when the country faces pressures of climatic effects such as those that have hit us in the last few days. He said how this protocol will more clearly establish mechanisms that the country welcomes in a more effective way. He also explained that a focused Authority against climate change will be set up.
Regarding this Authority, the Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise Miriam Dalli claimed that in the last months work had begun on the establishment of a special Authority for action on climate change. She said that in the coming months a Bill will be submitted to Parliament for the establishment of an Authority whose main objective will be to carry out a central monitoring of the impact of the different activities on climate change while bringing together the -concrete actions that the country needs to take. Minister Dalli said that the MCESD has a more important role to contribute.
The MCESD meeting was also attended by the Minister for Finance and Work Clyde Caruana, the Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue Andy Ellul, the Chief Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana, the Cabinet Secretary Ryan Spagnol and the -Head of the Secretariat of the Office of the Prime Minister Glenn Micallef.
Photo: OPM
