Electrogas on target to start up gas power station by end of January

Electrogas, the company entrusted with a mega-million government deal to set up and operate the new gas power station in Delimara, is sticking to its end of January deadline to become fully operational, sources within the consortium told The Malta Independent.

The gas-fired power station will be able to provide electricity by end of this month as specified in the secret agreement signed by then Minister for Energy Konrad Mizzi and Electrogas. The new power station will be able to provide clean energy of up to 200 MW. It is yet not clear how the government will be using all this power generated by Electrogas along with the BWSC powerstation, Delimara 1 and the interconnector.

As part of the commissioning process of the new power station, later today, tanker MV Galea will be sailing into M’Xlokk harbour to prepare the LNG Armada Mediterrana for refuelling.

Tanker MV Galea will be sailing into the port with a shipment of liquefied natural gas which according to procedure will be used to lower the temperature of the LNG tanker which is currently berthed in Marsaxlokk. The procedure should help cool the tanker and prepare it for the first LNG refuelling.

Sources within Electrogas confirmed that in the coming days, another tanker will then be coming to Malta to supply the tanker with LNG. The LNG Armada Mediterrana, which is serving as the floating storage unit for the new gaspowered power station, will then be ready to operate by end of January.

As promised by the government, the BWSC power station in Delimara was partially converted to operate by gas instead of heavy fuel oil with the latter destined to be eliminated completely once the whole power station is converted to operate on LNG.

Government sources told this newsroom that the BWSC power station will be operating on LNG provided from the floating storage unit the LNG Armada Mediterrana. It is not yet public knowledge at what price the government will buy gas for the BWSC power station.

When interviewed on INDEPTH, Commercial Director at Electrogas, Catherine Halpin, had confirmed that the power station could become operational as from three weeks after the necessary permits are issued.

The Environmental and Resources Authority gave the green light for the project in December 2016. The decision by ERA, which included its vote on the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control application, allows for the operation of the gas power station and the LNG tanker to berth as a floating storage unit.

Dr Mizzi is to hold a press conference at Delimara this morning.