Call for tenders issued for Malta-Italy gas pipeline studies

Three call for tenders have been issued for a marine survey and environmental and engineering design studies for the Malta-Italy Gas Pipeline Project, the Energy and Water Agency has announced.

The Agency, which is part of the Energy Ministry, said it had been working steadily on the progress of the Malta-Italy gas pipeline interconnection project, which will connect Malta to the Trans-European Gas Network through a natural gas pipeline.

The pipeline will supply natural gas to Malta for the generation of electricity locally.

“Following the launch of the permitting procedure in Malta and Italy at the end of 2017, and the completion of the first public consultation period in May 2018, the next phase was the publication of a number of tenders in order to conduct detailed studies required for the obtainment of the necessary permits,” the Agency said.

The first tender was issued in June, aiming to appoint a contractor to carry out the necessary marine survey on the offshore route. Applications can be submitted until 26 July.

Another two tenders - for the carrying out of an Environmental Impact Assessment and for front-end engineering design studies - were issued later last month, with applications closing on 9 August.

The calls can be accessed through the government’s Electronic Tendering Portal (e-PPS).

All studies will be 50% co-financed by the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility funding instrument.