Malta-Sicily interconnector could be back in action by tonight

Repairs on the Malta-Sicily interconnector have been completed and tests are currently taking place on the undersea power cable.

Energy Minister Michael Farrugia said in a statement on Friday that the interconnector could be back working normally as early as tonight.

The cable was damaged two days before Christmas last year, after it was hit by a ship’s anchor. Enemalta was forced to stop using the interconnector, which placed added pressure on Malta’s electricity generation systems and caused a number of power outages.

A survey of the damage was carried out, and the repairs were estimated to cost €11 million, with Nexans Norway entrusted with the works.

The interconnector was powered up for 24 hours last night, and is currently undergoing a “soak test” - the procedure when the cable is lowered underwater to the seabed and switched on, albeit without any power load being placed on it.

Farrugia said that some time was lost during the repairs because of a storm at sea, causing repair works to halt for a few days. Thanks to the work of Enemalta employees, however, the interconnector was repaired in under three months, half the time it was expected to take.

Tests are yielding positive results till now, and if this carries on, Malta will tonight have its electricity supply once again generated through a mixture of the interconnector, the power stations and renewable energy, he said.

“This will allow us to maintain price stability which our country has benefitted from for the past years,” Farrugia said.