Enemalta’s 6 year reinforcement plan already reaping its benefits
13.09.2022
In the first 8 months of this year Enemalta invested over €11-million out of the €15-million allocated for the reinforcement of the electricity distribution system for 2022. While meeting the goals of this plan and exceeding them in some areas, we are already reaping the benefits of this investment. This summer power cuts were reduced by 34%.
This was announced by Enemalta’s CEO Jonathan Cardona in an Enemalta press conference. He added that more works are to be carried out over the course of 6 years as part of the €90 million plan.
“Thanks to the workers’ determination some our goals for this year have already been exceeded. The results of these efforts are evident as between June and the first week of September we experienced 34% less outages on the medium voltage system when compared to the same period of last year. We are committed to providing our customers, whether families or businesses, with an improved service and a stable electricity supply.
Enemalta’s Chairman Ing. Ryan Fava stated that through the results achieved, Enemalta’s service has improved, and as a company it is fully committed to this action plan in the interest of both its consumers and this country’s economy.
Ing. Fava mentioned that record demands were exceeded repeatedly this year. The highest day-peak electricity demand was recorded on July 7th, when the demand reached 581 megawatts (2.8% higher than last year). The evening peak record was then exceeded on August 17th, when electricity demand reached 542 megawatts (5.6% higher than last year).
Enemalta’s Executive Director for Projects and Distribution, Ing. Steve Farrugia gave a detailed account of the interventions over the past 8 months. He mentioned that upgrades in the Tarxien and Imrieħel distribution centre have been completed, while extension works on the Marsascala distribution centre are nearing completion.
Ing. Farrugia stated that 29 of the 40 substations planned for this year have been commissioned in several localities. He highlighted their importance in the distribution system, both for existing clients and for future clients to meet the increasing electricity demands.
“The network is continuously expanding due to economic and social development in the country. Thus it is essential that this system is maintained and continuously reinforced.”
Ing. Farrugia explained that through this programme switchgear and transformers in 12 substations have also been upgraded, resulting in a greater capacity. These substations, alongside others have been equipped with remote switching. This reduced electricity supply restoration time significantly in case of faults developing in the electricity distribution network, as supply, when possible, is restored through the Enemalta control room before technicians and engineers head on site to make the necessary repairs.
Our technicians are continuously studying our network and planning further reinforcement projects, explained Ing. Farrugia. He stated that this reinforcement requires several interventions, including the laying of underground cables, change of aerial lines in residential streets where works have already been conducted in over 150 streets. He added that in several localities, more than 25 Line Voltage Regulators (LVR) have been installed to stabilise voltage when voltage variations develop.
6 year reinforcement plan: What has been done so far?
Extension of Distribution Centres in Tarxien, Imrieħel and Marsascala
7 medium voltage reinforcements affecting several localities
29 new substations around Malta and Gozo
Various upgrades in 52 existing substations
45 new low voltage feeders from several substations in different localities
25-line voltage regulator around various localities in Malta and Gozo
150 streets with new lines in several localities
