Enemalta applies to dismantle Marsa power station

A landmark planning application to decommission, dismantle and demolish the Marsa power station has been presented by Enemalta Corporation to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

Along with traffic the Marsa power plant is considered to be a leading source of air pollution in the country.

But no details were given by Enemalta on the envisaged timeframe for the decommissioning of the power station and on future use and ownership of the site after the powerhouse is dismantled.

Contacted by MaltaToday, an Enemalta spokesperson replied that further details on the decommissioning will be announced in the coming months.

The spokesperson confirmed that the Ministry for Energy and Health has asked Enemalta to plan and implement the closure of the Marsa power station in line with government policy.

“Earlier this year, Enemalta started the necessary preparations for the decommissioning and dismantling of the Marsa power station to pave the way for the planned regeneration of this harbour area.”

Although an initial application for these works has been recently submitted to MEPA, plans for the power station’s dismantling and demolition are still being concluded by Enemalta’s architects and engineers.

Further details of the decommissioning plan will be announced in the coming months.

“Enemalta reiterates its commitment to phase out its older power plants and shift to a more efficient, more sustainable and eco-friendly electricity generation mix”.

The Marsa power station, which was installed in the galleries excavated at the base of Jesuits Hill, in Marsa, was inaugurated on 5 December, 1953.

A commitment to close the Marsa power station was first made by the newly elected PN government in 1987 following its decision to construct a new power station in Delimara but this promise was made amidst protests by environmentalists on the impact of the new power station on the quaint fishing village.

In 2011 MEPA confirmed that the Marsa power station was the likely source of the black dust problem in neighbouring towns.

Plans for the regeneration of the Grand Harbour presented in 2007 also envisaged transforming the area occupied by the Marsa power station by a public garden by 2015. The previous administration was committed to close the power station after the interconnector connecting Malta to Sicily came into place. 

An EIA for the new gas fired power plant states that emission targets for both nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and atmospheric particulate matter (PM2.5) can be  met “under the assumption of extensive use of the ‘clean’ electricity from both the interconnector and the gas-fired units at Delimara” and that energy demand does not exceed current levels.

Fines imposed on Enemalta for the operation of the Marsa plant have reached around €2.5 million after the plant exceeded the 20,000-hour limit of operation imposed in EU directives in 2011.