Enemalta’s CEO has blamed the heat for the power cuts which homes across the country are experiencing, noting that the country’s electricity grid is nowhere near being at full capacity.
In a technical briefing to the media after several localities around Malta and Gozo suffered through a second night of power cuts, Enemalta CEO Jonathan Cardona told journalists that the current heatwave is to blame for the increase in power cuts as of late.
He said that the heat is causing an increased number of defects in electricity cables but that the power cuts have not been down to the electricity grid being overloaded.
Malta has been hit by a heatwave which has ripped through much of Southern Europe, with temperatures here hitting the 40 degrees celsius mark and expected to continue in such a vein for at least the rest of the week.
Cardona explained that the highest consumption levels were record at 604 megawatts but the grid’s capacity is of 830 megawatts. The high peak times are reported as being 3pm and during the night when people are at home.
He continued that some localities had multiple faults, but that the bulk of faults were resolved within up to 30 minutes. He said that there were still some cases where longer repairs were required, the longest of which being in Zebbug, parts of which were left without power for 21 hours.
A specialised van with a technical team is sent on site in order to identify the exact point of the fault, and a contractor digs up the area, leaving technical teams to carry out the necessary repairs – which can take up to a day.
He said that the cables have their lifetime and wear and tear is only exacerbated by factors like the extreme heat and other things, such as vibrations from the street above.
Cardona said that €15 million per year is being invested in upgrading the electricity grid through new substations, new aerial lines and voltage reinforcement upgrades amongst other things.
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