Turbine trouble ‘normal occurrences during plant’s commissioning phase

Enemalta said "technical occurrences" cited by Labour MP Joe Mizzi that led to a breakdown in the Delimara turbine being installed by BWSC, were "normal throughout the lifetime of any electricity generation plant", discounting the turbine problem that has afflicted the power station as "common during the initial year of operation as a result of teething problems."

An Enemalta spokesperson said the teething problems were an ongoing part, not only of the commissioning process of these engines, but also of their operation.

"The small leaks into the combustion chamber do not affect the operation of the engine and pose no risk of damage. Nonetheless, the Enemalta engineers together with BWSC decided to take action and minimize or eliminate these leaks. At present all eight engines are operational and any remaining leaks are within the accepted levels. None of these leaks in the engine have anything to do with the kind of fuel used and in fact happened on engines when using both Fuel Oil and Diesel."

The breakdown in the turbine led to government switching to the Marsa power station for additional backup, after it was learned that the new diesel turbines at Delimara will be out of action for at least six months. The government is seeking arbitration in London over any penalties BWSC may incur on a weekly basis should the turbines not be functioning in 2013.

"The issue with the dump condenser is currently being tackled and there has been an agreement with BWSC to replace it with a new one. Once again, this is common practice when it comes to the commissioning of a new plant," Enemalta said.

Mizzi also referred to issues with the power station's deaerator, which originally happened back in June when the equipment was changed and corrective measures were taken to resolve the fault.

"In the meantime, the manufacturer modified the original piece, corrected the fault and this has now been reinstalled and is working fine. This is not a second-hand part as alleged by Mizzi," Enemalta said.

"It is unfortunate that Hon Mizzi chooses to report the information he receives from site personnel without taking into account the larger picture in the context of which these are in reality relatively minor issues and a part of the normal occurrence for such engines. Diesel engines, as large as the ones used in this plant, require ongoing routine maintenance however, their advantages in terms of flexibility, efficiency and durability are far greater than this.

"It is also unfortunate that Hon. Joe Mizzi decides to give the wrong information about the nation's security of supply. Last winter's peak happened in February at 368MW."

Presently Enemalta has 250MW capacity at Delimara plus 50MW which is currently unavailable due to maintenance, and 150MW available at Marsa. This total does not include the four boilers currently shut down but which can be put back in service to produce an additional 100MW. This means that in total, and without the Delimara extension, Enemalta has a capacity of 500MW, which is even well above the summer peak of 429MW.