Demolition of Marsa Power Station gathers pace

Demolition of Marsa Power Station gathers pace.

05.06.2016

The dismantling and demolition of the Marsa Power Station is gathering pace as works to remove its largest structures is now well underway.

On Saturday, the Company’s contractors started the demolition of the Engineers’ Block, one of the station’s buildings. At the same time, in another area, workers are dismantling the HFO-fired Unit 8. This plant includes the steel structure housing the boiler, rising to a height of 15 storeys, and other related machinery.

All works are being supervised by Enemalta engineers to ensure that the dismantling plans and timelines are maintained. They are also guiding the contractors to safeguard installations that are still operational or on cold standby, including the electricity distribution nodes located at the station. The Company is taking several measures to secure the health and safety of employees who work at the Marsa Power Station site, as well as customers who visit the nearby Administration Building.

Once Unit 8 is dismantled, works will proceed to other areas of the power station, including boilers 2, 3 and 4 and their respective steam turbines. Units 5, 6 and 7 and their HFO supply tanks will be dismantled during the last phase of the project. These units are currently being kept on cold standby to ensure security of supply in emergency situations, until the ongoing projects at the Delimara Power Station are completed.

All metals and other materials removed from the power station site are being disposed of in accordance to all applicable health and safety, waste management and environment protection regulations. Where possible, these materials are being processed for recycling. Enemalta is demanding that contractors take all necessary precautions to avoid inconveniences or safety risks to residents and workers in the Marsa area.

The oldest part of the station, the A Station located in the underground tunnels beneath Jesuits Hill, is being retained due to its historical significance. Enemalta engineers have also identified some machinery from the B Station, including parts of its turbines and control rooms, to be added to the Company’s collection of old equipment commemorating the history of electricity in Malta. A number of switchgear units installed in recent years will be transferred to the Delimara Power Station for a new switchgear room which is being built to consolidate its electricity distribution systems.

The Marsa Power Station was switched off in March 2015 and is being maintained on cold standby, until it is fully decommissioning in the coming months. The decommissioning and dismantling of this station forms part of Enemalta’s plan to transform the country’s electricity generation sector by ending the use of less-efficient oil-fired generators and shifting to cleaner technologies, including gas-fired plants, the Malta-Italy Interconnector and renewable sources. As soon as the new gas-fired plant at the Delimara Power Station is completed, the Company would be able to dismantle the few remaining Marsa Power Station units still on cold standby.

Inġ. Fredrick Azzopardi, Enemalta plc Executive Chairman, explained that the decommissioning of the Marsa Power Station and the oldest plants at the Delimara Power Station are an important step in the implementation of the Company’s transformation towards long-term financial sustainability. “We are replacing older equipment with new electricity generation technologies that are more efficient and that have less negative impacts on the environment. This transformation means improved air quality in the Maltese Islands. It also contributes to the attainment of a sustainable energy sector capable of generating the necessary resources for a continuous investment in the development of the country’s electricity generation infrastructure and the national distribution network, to provide higher quality services to all our customers.”

Enemalta plc would like to thank its employees, contractors and all local authorities involved in this important project.