Updated
Electricity Crisis: Chamber calls for urgent MCESD meeting
In response to the ongoing electricity crisis, the Malta Chamber of Commerce has urgently requested a meeting with the chairperson of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD).As Malta endures its eighth day of power outages, at least 15 localities across the islands were left without electricity on Tuesday alone. The prolonged power cuts have caused significant distress within the business community, particularly in the hospitality sector. “This current state of play cannot persist and worst of all repeat itself – the right decisions and timely investment need to be taken now. This country needs to have a long term economic and social vision that goes beyond the political spectrum,” it urged.
(Newsbook)
Thousands struggle as localities suffer power loss again Thousands of families endured another distressing night without power as the relentless heatwave persisted On Monday evening and night, various localities, such as Zabbar, Mosta, Naxxar, Rabat, San Gwann, and Sliema, experienced power outages. Enemalta reassured on its Facebook page that their dedicated staff was diligently working to restore electricity supply in the affected areas where high voltage cable faults had developed. These widespread power cuts have persisted for over a week, affecting numerous areas across both islands. Enemalta attributes the faults to the extraordinary heat brought on by the ongoing heatwave. Even Mater Dei Hospital spent close to an hour without electricity, after the generators failed to kick in. (Times of Malta)
Restaurants, hotels suffering financial loss, bad reviews – MHRA:
The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association expressed disappointment that the recent series of power cuts in the country has caused not only financial losses for hotels and restaurants but also significant reputational damage. Financial losses resulting from spoiled food stocks, cancelled bookings, and damaged equipment were substantial, but the association emphasized that the impact on their reputation was even more critical. Numerous tourists took to social media to express their dissatisfaction, claiming that their vacations were ruined due to the lack of electricity in hotels, leading to low ratings and negative reviews on booking platforms. Similarly, restaurants affected by power cuts faced disappointed patrons, resulting in missed peak season opportunities as they were unable to operate without electricity. While the association acknowledged that the temperatures were unusually high, it warned that such occurrences might become the norm and urged for proactive measures to prevent a recurrence of the present crisis. (Maltatoday)
Morning Briefing
Powercuts will not be a one-off – Miriam Dalli
The recent powercuts will not be a one-off situation, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said on Monday, when she again addressed the crisis of power cuts that has been hitting the country for the past days. The Minister insisted that that apart from working round the clock to restore energy to affected areas, the government will continue to invest in the electricity distribution system so that it can cater for future occurrences better. Asked whether the country is to expect more power cuts, Enemalta CEO Joseph Cardona said that during the weekend the system “seems to have recovered”, adding that until Monday morning everything was okay and “we remain hopeful that the situation remains like that”. Enemalta revealed that on Monday, the country reached a new record peak usage of 649 mega watts. (The Malta Independent)
Temperature exceeds July’s highest-ever reading
The Meteorological Office announced that on Monday the peak temperature reached 42.7°C, matching the highest July record ever recorded in 1988. Although the Met Office was still taking readings for the day, it is unlikely that the temperature will exceed this point. There is a possibility that Tuesday might offer the last opportunity to break the July record, with a forecasted temperature of 42°C, as cooler temperatures are expected from Wednesday due to strong winds. The recorded temperature was also just over one degree shy of the highest temperature ever measured, which occurred in August 1999 and was 43.8°C. (Times of Malta)
June registers slight drop in inflation – NSO
In June 2023, the annual rate of inflation as measured by the Retail Price Index (RPI) was 5.4%, down from 5.7% in May 2023. Data by the National Statistics Office show that the highest inflation rates in June were registered in Food (10.1%) and Housing (9.4%). On the other hand, the lowest annual inflation rates were registered in Clothing and Footwear (-1.4%) and Water, electricity, gas and fuels (0.0%). (TVM)
