Updated 1215
Malta still struggling with powercuts
Enemalta said this morning that around 40 of its workers had worked “tirelessly” to repair the underground cables it said were responsible for the blackouts. The company said it wanted to “reassure its customers that it is doing everything possible to restore the supply in pending areas”. However, hundreds of individuals and business operators lamented on social media that their localities had no electricity throughout the night and this morning. Powercuts were reported in Mdina, Mosta, Mtarfa, Rabat, Birkirkara, Msida, Santa Venera, Luqa, Qormi, Żebbuġ, Siġġiewi, Birżebbuġa, Safi and Żurrieq.
MP challenges Enemalta’s claims on damaged cable
Nationalist Party MP Mark Anthony Sammut is challenging Enemalta’s explanation that power outages are caused by damaged cables from high temperatures. According to him, cables buried three feet underground do not heat up due to surface temperatures but rather due to high currents caused by excessive load. He contends that the company is implementing a power rationing method known as ‘load shedding’ instead of addressing the cable issues as claimed. (Times of Malta)
PM urges swift closure of Sofia inquiry
Prime Minister Robert Abela urged the the swift closure of the magisterial inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia. During an interview in Gudja, he emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring justice is served, holding the responsible parties accountable for their actions. Dr. Abela highlighted that the magisterial inquiry was initially intended to be completed within 60 days, but it has now been almost eight months, and yet the inquiry remains inconclusive. As a result, he called for its immediate resolution, expressing his concern over the prolonged delay and the need to bring closure to the tragic case of Jean Paul Sofia’s death. (TVM)
Morning Briefing
Electricity demand tops 600 MW as more localities suffer power cuts
In the past few days, the demand for electricity reached an all-time high of 604 megawatts, but Enemalta officials clarified that the power cuts experienced were not due to overloading. Instead, the interruptions were caused by faults resulting from the extreme heat. Enemalta CEO Jonathan Cardona addressed the issue during a press conference, highlighting that although power demand exceeded 600MW for the first time, it remained well below the generation capacity of 830MW. The outages were attributed to damage to distribution equipment, particularly cables, caused by the high temperatures. Some areas faced multiple faults, leading to extended repair durations lasting several hours. However, in most instances, electricity was restored within an hour or so. The Mosta-Naxxar region was the hardest hit, with some residents experiencing a 24-hour outage due to damage to a sub-station. Repairs are still ongoing in that area. T
(Times of Malta)
Two women held after large drug haul
Following a police raid on their apartment, two women, 32-year-old Roxanne Grech from Msida and 30-year-old Daniela Mamo from San Gwann, have been detained in custody. The raid led to the discovery of 1.8kg of heroin and approximately one thousand sachets of cocaine and heroin, which appeared to be ready for sale in the local market. The women were charged with aggravated possession of the drugs under circumstances that suggested it was not for personal use. Additionally, they faced accusations of possessing the drugs within 100 meters of a school or a location frequented by young people. (Maltatoday)
Eight arrests at Customs
Eight persons were arrested, including customs officials, as part of a customs fraud and corruption operation led by the EU’s anti-graft agency, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. The suspects are believed to have engaged in a fraudulent scheme aimed at evading customs taxes and duties on imported goods from China, with the alleged involvement of customs officials. It is suspected that bribes were offered to these officials in exchange for their participation in the scheme, which involved deliberately undervaluing the goods. Among those arrested were five public officials and three individuals representing two companies under investigation for orchestrating the fraudulent activities. (Maltatoday)
