Decrease in electricity consumption result of economic slowdown, says Labour MP

The Labour Party's spokesman on the environment Leo Brincat criticised the Planning Authority for publishing the 2009 report on environment indicators two years later.

"The delay is absolutely unacceptable and it does not reflect well on the push which should have been given to the environment sector and the supposedly MEPA reform," Brincat said, addressing a press conference this morning.

He added that if the country really wanted to solve its environmental problems it needed real-time figures.

The key environment indicators were published by MEPA two days before Christmas. The report said the consumption of water and electricity and planning permits decreased during 2009, and that the amount of electricity generated fell by almost 5% in 2009.

While praising the document for its "user-friendliness and presentation", Brincat said the positive indicators were marginal as negative factors overshadowed the positive ones.

Brincat criticised MEPA for not specifying the particular sectors in which decrease in electricity consumption was recorded: "It should have established clearly what led to this decrease, especially when the hike in utility bills took place at the beginning of 2010."

He said he believed the reduction in consumption was the direct result of an economic slowdown, and not the result of an increased usage of alternative energy.

"An EU Observer report classified Malta in the last place during 2000 for its use of alternative energy. EU expects Malta that by 2020 the island would derive 20% of its electricity from alternative energy. During 2009, Malta consumed a mere 0.2% from such energy."

Brincat said air quality did not improve and the public's concern grew further. He added he still couldn't understand why a tender for precipitators for the old Delimara power station was issued, and was then suspended during the adjudication process:

"I am not convinced it was cancelled because government found the air was cleaner than originally thought."

On waste management, Brincat said while government had indeed invested more, the 2009 figures were still worrying.

"The indicators show that reduction in the generation of waste in 2009 when compared to 2008 were the result of a bad economic climate rather than the country managing to detach economic growth from the generation of waste."

Brincat added it was alarming that 95% of municipal waste ended up in landfills.

On construction waste, Brincat said government should analyse the generation of waste from the construction industry in the eventuality that the industry recuperates in the coming years.

On transport, Brincat said the public transport reform would only be truly implemented if the public used less their own private cars and made use of the public transport.