Enerġija

Recently, during a press conference in Birżebbuġa ADPD – The Green Party spokespersons insisted that the theatrics in parliament pitting the gas tanker versus the interconnector is testament to the parliamentary parties’ empty rhetoric. It is in fact their lack of vision and lack of planning which made this country totally dependent on unreliable sources of energy, resulting in frequent energy blackouts in extensive parts of the country.

ADPD – The Green Party Secretary General Dr Ralph Cassar said that Miriam Dalli’s description of government’s vision on energy and climate change as ambitious is simply not true. They are as ambitious as her counterparts sitting opposite her in parliament. Non-action now will mean much more difficult decisions tomorrow, when fuels will become more expensive. The government target to increase by 11.5% the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption in 2030 is risible. It is just 1.5% above the 2020 target, and has in fact already been reached. This means that combustion of fossil fuels as a source of energy will continue to affect us economically, because all fuels are imported, whether through tankers or a pipeline. Interconnector electricity also exposes the country to the instability of the energy market.

Dr Cassar insisted that we need to move away from token measures and instead of wasting hundreds of millions of Euro on a new interconnector, those same hundreds of millions should be invested in renewable energy. Homegrown, renewable and clean. Investing hundreds of millions in renewables and in the strengthening of the distribution network will mean new jobs in Malta, rather than exporting hundreds of millions of Euro abroad. What we need is action to reassess commercial activity at sea and reassign some areas to activities related to renewable energy. Policies should make photovoltaics on commercial buildings compulsory. In the case of the construction industry it is so far crystal clear that government will not lift a finger to push towards carbon-neutral buildings, to require compulsory installations of solar water heating and photovoltaic systems, not even on large projects, let alone retrofitting of older buildings.

Dr Cassar queried why micro-wind turbines are not being considered for industrial areas. Compulsory installation of RES, with the right incentives and disincentives on commercial and industrial roof space are absent from government policies and strategies. Financial incentives for industry and the services sector should be tied to clear, measurable commitments to zero-carbon. It is in the commercial sector’s interest too after all to have clear and ambitious zero-carbon policies. Such policies would provide the certainty needed for long term investment. The less dependent we are on imported energy sources the better, for business, for jobs, for society and for our wellbeing, health and environment.

These policies however seem to be too ‘Green’ and progressive, for this ‘market-friendly’ government. Neither is there an indication of a serious commitment for energy efficiency, and zero-carbon targets for the services and industrial sector, concluded Cassar.

Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that during severe storms it is inevitable that the LNG tanker is put out of action, the consequences of not doing so could be catastrophic. There have also been quite frequent incidents with the interconnector. This goes to show that the government led by the PN had refused to seriously consider a gas pipeline proposal by AGIP some years back, was a huge mistake. Instead it had lumped us with one of the dirtiest form of energy, heavy fuel oil. Its rhetoric of presenting a second interconnector as some kind of solution is another falsehood. The Labour Government’s energy policy is just as confused. The power cuts are a consequence of the politics of energy generation in these islands. It is a case of trusting too much the interconnector and being dependent on it. Its immaterial whether the interconnector tripped as a result of being overloaded or whether it developed a fault as a result of something else. The net result is that power stoppage is becoming to frequent an occurrence. The expense incurred in repairs is substantial. The damage to our economy and to our competitiveness is enormous. We need to get our energy priorities right very quickly.

The process for a gas pipeline from Italy has already started, it does not make sense to waste money on a second interconnector. What makes sense is reducing as much as possible the country’s dependence both on gas and on energy from the existing interconnector, through increasing efficiency in energy consumption – including by ensuring that those who waste energy pay the full cost of their consumption – and investing in renewable energy and retrofitting of buildings to make them carbon-neutral.

Cacopardo said that unfortunately both Labour and PN governments have always sought to reduce Malta’s renewable energy targets to risible levels. They even brag about reducing the targets to 10% from 20% by 2020 (negotiated by a PN government), and 11.5% by 2030 (negotiated by a Labour government and referred to in the draft  National Sustainable Development Strategy). The levels are so low that the 11.5% target has already been reached without any particular effort.

We need more ambitious targets than that! Achieving a 50 per cent target for renewable energy generation over a ten-year timeframe would be more suitable to our needs and requirements. Without ambitious targets we will never achieve the 2050 carbon neutrality objective, concluded Cacopardo.

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Nuqqas ta’ sigurtà fl-enerġija

F’konferenza tal-aħbarijiet riċentament f’Birżebbuġa kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party saħqu li t-teatrin li segwejna tul il-ġimgħa fil-Parlament fejn ippruvaw iġelldu t-tanker tal-gass mal-interconnector huwa xhieda tad-diskors fieragħ tal-partiti rappreżentati fil-Parlament. Huwa tabilħaqq in-nuqqas ta’ viżjoni u ippjanar tagħhom li wasslu lil pajjiżna li jkun kompletament dipendenti fuq sorsi ta’ enerġija mhux siguri, bil-kaġun li qiegħed ikollna siegħat sħaħ ta’ qtugħ ta’ dawl  f’partijiet kbar tal-pajjiż.

Is-Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD – The Green Party Dr Ralph Cassar qal li dak li Miriam Dalli tiddeskrivi bħala viżjoni ambizzjuża tal-gvern dwar l-enerġija u t-tibdil fil-klima hi ferm ‘il-bogħod minn hekk. Il-membri tal-oppożizzjoni fil-Parlament ukoll m’għandhomx xi viżjoni ambizzjuża. In-nuqqas ta’ azzjoni, jfisser li se jkun hemm ħtieġa li jittieħdu deċiżjonijiet aktar iebsa ‘l quddiem, meta il-fjuwil isir aktar għoli u l-prezzijiet ma jibqgħux prevedibbli. Il-mira tal-gvern li jilħaq il-11.5% ta’ enerġija rinovabbli mit-total gross tal-konsum tal-enerġija sal-2030 hija waħda tad-daħk. Hija biss 1.5% aktar mill-mira tal-2020 u filfatt diġà intlaħqet! Dan ifisser li l-użu ta’ sorsi tal-enerġija minn fjuwils fossili se tkompli tħalli l-impatti tagħha fuq l-ekonomija tagħna, minħabba li dan il-fjuwil huwa importat, kemm jekk bit-tankers tal-gass, kemm jekk bil-pipeline. Barra minn hekk l-elettriku mill-interconnector ukoll jpoġġi lil pajjiżna f’dipendenza totali fuq sors importat  ta’ enerġija.

Cassar saħaq li hemm bżonn li minflok miżuri fjakki li ma jbiddlu xejn u l-ħela ta’ miljuni ta’ Euro fuq interconnector ġdid, dawn il-miljuni għandhom jintefqu fuq enerġija rinovabbli – maħluqa f’pajjiżna stess, enerġija rinovabbli u nadifa. Dan l-investiment, inkluż investiment fit-tisħiħ tas-sistema tad-distribuzzjoni isarraf fil-ħolqien ta’ impjiegi ġodda f’Malta, minflok li nibgħatu miljuni kbar ta’ Euro barra mill-pajjiż. Hemm il-ħtieġa urġenti li nirriservaw żoni għal attività konnessa mal-enerġija rinovabbli fl-ibħra tagħna. Għandu jkun hemm politika li  tesiġi li l-binjiet kummerċjali kollha jkollhom pannelli fotovoltajiċi. Huwa ċar li il-gvern mhux interessat li jimbotta lill-industrija tal-kostruzzjoni biex tibni bini karbonju-żero. Il-gvern lanqas m’hu interessat li tesiġi li jkun hemm l-istallazzjoni tas-sistemi ta’ solar water heaters u sistemi fotovoltajiċi fuq il-bini, la fuq proġetti kbar ġodda, aħseb u ara r-rinnovament u l-immodernizzar ta’ bini eżistenti.

Cassar staqsa għaliex ma jkunx hemm turbini żgħar tar-riħ f’żoni industrijali. L-istallazzjoni ta’ sistemi ta’ enerġija rinovabbli fuq bini industrijali u kummerċjali għandu jkun obbligatorju, b’inċentivi u disinċentivi adattati. Kull għajnuna finanzjarji lill-industrija u s-settur tas-servizzi għandha tkun marbuta ma’ impenn ċar  għall-mira raġjonevoli ta’ żero-karbonju. Huwa fl-interess tas-settur kummerċjali ukoll wara kollox li l-politika f’dan il-qasam tkun ċara u ambizzjuża. Din il-politika tipprovdi iċ-ċertezza meħtieġa għal investiment fit-tul. Inqas ma nkunu dipendenti fuq sorsi ta’ enerġija importata, iktar aħjar għan-negozji, għall-impjiegi, għas-soċjeta’ u għal benesseri tagħna, għas-saħħa u l-ambjent.

Sfortunatament din it-tip ta’ politika tidher li hija wisq ‘Ħadra’ u progressiva għal dan il-gvern ‘ħabib tas-suq’, temm jgħid Cassar.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party Carmel Cacopardo qal li huwa inevitabbli li waqt maltempati kbar it-tanker tal-gass ma jkunx jista’ jiffunzjona – jekk it-tanker ma jitressaqx ‘il barra jista’ jkun hemm konsegwenzi katastrofiċi. Iżda anke l-interconnector, wieħed ma jistax joqgħod fuqu il-ħin kollu, filfatt kien hemm diversi inċidenti li ikkawżaw qtugħ tal-elettriku mill-interconnector. Dan jikkonferma l-iżball kbir li kien għamel xi snin ilu Gvern Nazzjonalista meta kien irrifjuta li jkollna pipeline tal-gas propost mid-ditta AGIP. Minflok konna tqannajna b’waħda mill-iktar forom maħmuġa ta’ enerġija possibbli – dik taż-żejt HFO. Ir-retorika li t-tieni interconnector huwa xi forma ta’ soluzzjoni hija ħmerija oħra. Il-politika tal-Gvern Laburista fil-qasam tal-enerġija hija daqstant konfuża. Il-qtugħ ta’ dawl li qiegħed ikollna huma konsegwenza tal-politika tal-ġenerazzjoni tal-enerġija. Qegħdin nafdaw wisq fuq l-interconnector u niddependu fuqu. Jekk l-interconnector waqafx jaħdem minħabba li kien mgħobbi wisq jew inkella minħabba xi raġuni oħra huwa irrelevanti. Li hu żgur li l-qtugħ ta’ dawl sar ikun ta’ spiss wisq. L-ispejjeż fit-tiswijiet meħtieġa mhux żgħar. Il-ħsara lill-ekonomija u l-kompetittività tagħna hija kbira. Hemm bżonn li jkollna il-prijoritajiet tal-enerġija tagħna f’posthom mill-aktar fis.

Il-proċess għal pipeline tal-gass mill-Italja diġà beda u għalhekk ma jagħmilx sens li naħlu flusna fuq interconnector ieħor. Li jagħmel sens hu li nnaqsu kemm jista’ jkun id-dipendenza tagħna kemm fuq il-gass kif ukoll fuq l-enerġija mill-interconnector eżistenti, billi inżidu l-effiċjenza fil-konsum tal-enerġija – inkluż billi naraw li dawk li jaħlu jħallsu b’mod sħiħ għall-konsum tagħhom – u billi ninvestu f’enerġija rinovabbli u rinnovament tal-bini biex isiru  żero-karbonju.

Cacopardo qal li sfortunatament kemm gvernijiet Laburisti kif ukoll dawk Nazzjonalisti dejjem raw kif inaqqsu l-miri tal enerġija rinovabbli ta’ pajjiżna għal livelli redikoli. Saħansitra jiftaħru li tnaqqsu dawn il-miri għal 10% minn 20% sal-2020 (negozjata minn Gvern Nazzjonalista) u għal 11.5% sal-2030 (negozjata minn Gvern Laburista u kif elenkata fl-abbozz tal-Istrateġija Nazzjonali għal Żvilupp Sostenibbli). Il-livelli huma daqstant baxxi li l-mira ta’ 11.5% diġà intlaħqet mingħajr wisq tbatija.

Għanda bżonn miri ħafna aktar ambizzjużi minn hekk! Mira ta’ 50% għall-ġenerazzjoni ta’ enerġija rinovabbli fuq medda ta’ għaxar snin tkun ħafna aktar addattata għal dak li għandna bżonn. Mingħajr miri ambizzjużi it-tir ta’ żero-karbonju sal-2050 żgur mhux se jitlaħaq, temm jgħid Cacopardo.