Busuttil: Muscat must not ignore safety concerns on LNG tanker

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has called on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to prioritize the security of residents in Marsaxlokk and Birzebbugia, over concerns on the siting of natural gas tanker inside Marsaxlokk bay to supply LNG to a new 200MW power plant.

The floating gas terminal is part of the government's plans to supply natural gas to a new power plant and bring costs of energy generation down.

In a visit to Pretty Bay, Birzebbugia, Busuttil said that Muscat was ignoring 91% of residents interviewed in a social impact assessment for the gas plant, who said they were concerned about the peril of having the gas tanker so close to the village.

Busuttil was accompanied by engineer Stanley Zammit, a PN councilor for Birzebbugia.

"The frenzy to keep to his electoral promises is forcing Muscat to ignore what independent experts, the captain of the tanker where the gas will be stored, Freeport officials and residents of the south of the island, are saying. He is taking decisions that compromise residents' security and the region's commercial interests," Busuttil said.

The Opposition leader said Muscat could avail himself of other solutions to store the gas, such as taking the terminal further out of Marsaxlokk. "It is unacceptable that he remains stubborn on such an important matter."