Enemalta, Malta’s national energy provider, is currently incurring exorbitant costs exceeding €10,000 per hour to lease large industrial generators as it grapples with a severe energy crisis, The Shift has learned. This crisis, marked by frequent blackouts, is largely attributed to historical mismanagement and insufficient investment.
Enemalta Chairman Ryan Fava confirmed over the weekend that the company is deploying industrial generators to mitigate the widespread blackouts affecting the country. However, internal sources at the state-owned utility have revealed that the situation is significantly more dire than initially portrayed.
For the second consecutive year, Enemalta is relying on approximately 50 generators, predominantly leased from Nexos Lighting, to stabilize the power supply. These generators, typically used for film shoots, are now being utilized to address the power shortages.
The range of these generators spans from 300 KVa to as high as 4 Megawatts. Additionally, generators from Bonnici Brothers, a firm that has secured numerous substantial tenders and direct orders since Prime Minister Robert Abela’s tenure began in 2000, are also being used.
According to Enemalta engineers, the cost of operating these generators is substantial. The average expense is about €600 per generator per hour, leading to a total expenditure of approximately €10,000 per hour when all units are in use. This estimate does not include the cost of diesel, which is also supplied by Enemalta.
This reliance on external generators is not unprecedented. Last year, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli instructed Enemalta to lease generators from Nexos to ensure power for a village feast in her constituency of Zurrieq. This emergency measure was taken to address complaints from constituents who were celebrating the Tal-Karmnu feast in darkness due to a Hollywood strike that had temporarily paused the use of Nexos’s generators for filming.
Both Chairman Ryan Fava and Minister Miriam Dalli did not respond to inquiries regarding the specific number of generators being rented and their total cost.
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