Malta's energy system
Malta's energy system has historically relied on oil and coal, with the nation heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels, particularly oil. Located in the Mediterranean, Malta comprises three inhabited islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino. Despite its limited freshwater resources and lack of substantial domestic energy production beyond some solar power, the Maltese government is actively promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. Since gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, Malta has sought to diversify its energy sources, yet it remains vulnerable to fluctuations in oil supply.
The Delimara Power Station, which began operations in the early 1990s, plays a central role in the country's energy landscape. Malta has made strides towards integrating renewable energy, setting targets for a 10% share of renewables in energy consumption by 2020. However, as of recent years, fossil fuels still dominate its energy mix, with natural gas making up a significant portion. In a bid to enhance energy security, Malta has established connections with the European energy network and is transitioning towards natural gas use, including the introduction of a regasification facility. The government has also introduced initiatives to encourage domestic solar energy usage and has made efforts to create a smart electricity grid, aiming to position Malta as a leader in energy efficiency within the EU.
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Malta's energy system
Official Name: Republic of Malta.
Summary: The energy system of Malta has long been dependent on oil and coal. The Maltese government is trying to promote renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies.
Malta is an archipelago, located south of Italy in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, and is the smallest country of the European Union. Only the three largest islands, Malta, Gozo, and Comino, are inhabited. Malta’s freshwater supplies are limited, and it has essentially no domestic production of energy sources beyond some solar power. While Malta became independent from United Kingdom in 1964, it is still totally energetically dependent on oil imports.
In 1896, the first power station in Malta began operations when the nation was still part of the British Empire. From 1905 to 1915, the power generation and the electricity system of Malta were extended to meet local demand. In 1914, World War I started, and activity in the energy sector was postponed. In 1926, a new power station was inaugurated in Gozo, but after the start of World War II in 1939, all the activities for the further development of the Maltese energy system again came to a halt. The war ended in 1945, and four years later a new power station was proposed to be constructed in Malta with the financial help of the United States.
Toward the end of the 19th century, the Maltese economy, based on the dockyard, started to decline primarily because of improvements in shipping technology and decrease in traffic at the country’s docks. In 1964, Malta became independent, which opened the way for the new government to shift Malta’s economy to one based on tourism and manufacturing of electronics and textiles, which led to greater independence from the British economy. To support the development of these new sectors, new power plants had to be constructed.
In 1953, a new gas turbine was installed at the Station Jesuits Hill, Marsa (an underground plant), and in 1966 another station, with two steam turbines, opened; it was expanded in March 1971. This later station helped solve one of Malta’s major problems: the scarcity of freshwater. A distiller was producing freshwater in addition to limited water from underground reserves. The extension of this station in 1971 involved the installation of three more distillers. The dependence of Malta on oil was increasing during this period, and accidents in 1966 and 1972 along with a strike in 1968 highlighted the risks of this dependence.
However, these events did not immediately influence development of Malta’s energy technology. Little by little, the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo, and Comino were connected to the new energy supplies with the construction of submarine cables in 1981, 1987, and 2001.
In October 1973, the Arab Oil Embargo shocked oil-based economies worldwide, including that of Malta. The Maltese distillation plants switched off their engines, and other technologies, such as reverse osmosis, were engaged to keep the freshwater supply at a viable level for the Maltese population. In 1982, eight years after the end of the oil crisis, the first reverse osmosis plant was opened, and in 1984 a second one was added to the system.
After the oil crisis, the Maltese government tried to take the control of the country’s oil supply. In 1974, it nationalized the importation of oil products, and in 1977 it set up Enemalta Corporation, which remains the main provider of energy generation and distribution, including oil and gas importation and distribution.
A Second Oil Crisis
In 1979, a second oil crisis, this time due to the Iranian Revolution, again brought into question Malta’s energy policy and made the government seek alternatives. Between 1982 and 1987, four stream turbines were installed at the Marsa Power Station. This strategy could have worked if the environmental and human health impacts of the coal used at the power station had not caused the local population to protest. In 1987, construction of a new power plant, at Delimara, started; the plant was commissioned in 1994. In the meantime, the Marsa Power Station continued to be improved, with new turbines added to eliminate the use of coal. On January 12, 1995, Malta became independent of coal but consequently became fully dependent on oil.
In July 1990, Malta applied to join the European Union (EU); consequently, its energy and environmental policies had to be adjusted to meet EU requirements. In 1999, Enemalta commissioned a combined-cycle generation plant using low-sulfur gas oil. In 2011, the two power stations operating in Malta had a total nominal installed capacity of 571 megawatts.
On May 1, 2004, Malta became a member of the EU and set some ambitious targets for use of energy from renewable sources, setting the goals of a 10 percent share of renewable energy in both final energy consumption and transport by 2020.
By the late 2010s and early 2020s, although biofuels’ penetration into the Maltese fuel mix was increasing, the use of renewable energy technologies continued to lag. As of 2021, Malta’s energy supply was still heavily dependent on fossil fuels (48.1 percent natural gas, 45.7 percent oil.) Nevertheless, the Maltese government subsidized the installation of photovoltaics and microwind for domestic use and has established feed-in tariffs. A major effort has been made to reduce waste of grid power. Enemalta has been installing smart meters for all its customers, and Malta aims to become the first country in the world to have a smart electricity grid across a whole nation. The Maltese were recognized to be among the EU’s biggest energy savers. However, they remained near the bottom in terms of renewable energy consumption.
In 2015 Malta opened a connection to the European energy network through a link with Italy. The country has also enacted plans to increase its use of natural gas for electrical power rather than oil or coal. In early 2017 the Delimara power facility opened a regasification plant and floating storage, and received the nation's first shipment of liquified natural gas (LNG). Later that year a new natural gas-fired power plant began operating, allowing the last heavy fuel oil power plant in Malta to be placed on standby.
Bibliography
Eccardt, Thomas M. Secrets of the Seven Smallest States of Europe: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City. New York: Hippocrene Books, 2005.
"Electricity Supply: 2022." National Statistics Office, 5 Oct. 2023, nso.gov.mt/electricity-supply-2022/. Accessed 5 Aug. 2024.
Lamendola, Michael F., and Arthur Tua. "Desalination of Seawater by Reverse Osmosis: The Malta Experience." ACOM 3-95. www.outokumpu.com/35954.epibrw. Accessed 10 Aug. 2024.
"Malta." CIA World Factbook, 31 July 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malta/. Accessed 5 Aug. 2024.
"Malta." International Energy Agency, 2024, www.iea.org/countries/malta. Accessed 5 Aug. 2024.