[WATCH] PM reconfirms summer deadline for new LNG plant

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The government will meet its fresh deadline for the new LNG-fired power station in Delimara to start generating cleaner energy in the summer months, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat confirmed.

Earlier, energy minister Konrad Mizzi refused to provide a fixed date when asked point blank by the press to do so, simply reiterating that energy will start being generated "in the summer months".

Addressing a Cabinet meeting with mayors and councillors at a hall in Birzebbuga, Muscat said that the government is open to suggestions for what to do with the land in Delimara, once the demolition work on the old power station is completed.

The first demolition commenced earlier this month with the decommissioning of a chimney and two boilers heated with heavy fuel oil. Muscat warned the mayors and councillors that the decommissioning of a power station is a delicate and time-consuming process.

He also touched on the Malta Freeport, arguing that it must respect residents, after Birzebbuga mayor Kevin Barun had urged it to stop works between 10pm and 6am.

Mayors of Malta's southern cities each had a turn to voice their locality's complaints directly to the entire Cabinet. Complaints were mostly related to road infrastructure, transport, and lack of funding. 

Siggiewi's Nationalist mayor Karol Aquilina was the most vociferous, accusing government entities, in particular MEPA and Transport Malta, of failing in their legal obligations to consult with local councils before commencing major projects. 

"It is not enough to simply inform local councils that a project will be carried out, but they must be properly consulted," he said. "Consultation with local councils is on the decline."

During the meeting, Birzebbuga's mayor warned that a Roman villa is falling to pieces, while Hal Safi mayor Francis Callus claimed that nurses employed with the Health Department are, in their free time, charging elderly people €10 for blood tests in their own homes, using state hospital equipment.

Here Muscat personally intervened, arguing that government cannot interfere in the free market but that it will investigate if indeed state medical equipment is being used.

'Need for green pockets' - Muscat

Muscat struck an environmentally friendly tone at the end of the Cabinet consultation, calling for the creation of more "green pockets" in the country's localities.

He said that government is committed to implementing green policies, such as the extension of the Nwadar nature park situated near the site where a controversial 'American Institute of Malta' will be partially constructed.

"More than that though, we need to create more green pockets in our localities where people can relax," he said. "Many such places already exist, but are inaccessible to the public."

He insisted that the public transport service has improved since the new routes were introduced at the end of last year, noting that mayors had last year complained to him that their localities weren't served well enough by public transport.

"That problem is now being solved, and we can turn our focus to improving route punctuality."

Describing the problem of local council financing as a "double-edged sword", he warned that decisions taken by councils up to three legislatures ago are still impacting their successors.

"Some councils commenced projects that drained funds for three consecutive council legislatures, tying their successors' hands with regards financing of other projects."

He called for a proper debate on how such problems can be better "regulated".