Enemalta upgrading electricity supply to Baħrija

Enemalta is upgrading the electricity distribution network supplying electricity to customers in Baħrija and nearby communities, to eliminate the existing dependency on old aerial lines that are more prone to weather damage and other technical difficulties.

The company’s technicians and engineers are laying two underground cable connections, extending over three kilometres, at the Fiddien and Landrijiet areas of Rabat. Once commissioned, these new connections will replace the overhead lines supplying electricity to Baħrija and nearby residential areas. Trenching works for these new underground cable connections are currently underway.

For years, outlying parts of Rabat, including Baħrija, Kunċizzjoni and Mtaħleb, were supplied with electricity through two 11 kilovolt overhead line circuits erected on poles across the countryside.

This new reinforcement project will eliminate the network’s reliance on these aerial lines, improving service reliability, whilst providing increased capacity to meet current and future electricity demand in these areas, the company said. Once the necessary alternative network capacity and redundancy is achieved, the old aerial high voltage lines in this area will be gradually phased out and removed.

Enemalta is laying the underground cables for the new connections through several roads and country lanes in the area, taking into consideration any archaeologically or environmentally sensitive sites. No road will be closed to vehicular traffic during the works, and access to these areas will remain open at all times.

Enemalta Executive Chairman Frederick Azzopardi confirmed that the reinforcement of the electricity network at Baħrija is just one of several projects the company is implementing to constantly upgrade the country’s electricity distribution infrastructure.

“Following our unprecedented €100 million investment in the last four years, we have just approved several other major projects, adding up to another €20 million, to continue increasing the network’s capacity to meet rising demand, whilst improving reliability and reducing service interruptions to our customers. We will soon start major upgrades to four different distribution centres to double the capacity of the network at the Marsascala area, and at the St Julian’s, Pembroke and San Ġwann areas. We have also started another major upgrade of the electricity network supplying the Ħal Far Industrial Zone, to meet the requirements of the area’s current and upcoming industrial investments. Eventually, through this project, Enemalta will also remove old high voltage overhead lines extending to Gudja, Tarxien and other nearby localities,” Azzopardi explained.

Enemalta is currently also laying new 33 kilovolt underground cables in a similar project at Mellieħa, to replace and remove the old overhead lines and pylons which supply electricity to Gozo.