Government ‘surprised’ by Italian DPM electricity threat

The Maltese Government said it was “surprised” by the statement made by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio on Italian television, where he linked recent disagreements on the migration issue to the energy interconnector.

“While the Maltese Government reiterates its arguments and conviction that it acted in accordance to international rules during the said events, it would like to express its surprise at the said statement,“the government said.

“Malta buys energy from the European grid via the Malta-Italy interconnector. This energy is bought at commercial rates from various European providers on the European grid.

“The agreement on the said interconnector is governed by European rules and specifies minimum and maximum loads, and circumstances when such loads can be reduced.

“The Maltese Government is confident that the competent Italian authorities will draw the Italian Deputy Prime Minister’s attention to this fact and that the said agreement is governed by rule of law.

“The Maltese Government also draws attention to the fact that with its latest investment in its own power plants, Malta is selfreliant for its energy requirements. The interconnector is used as part of an energy mix as part of its energy policy.”

The reaction came after Di Maio once again raised the tensions between Malta and Italy, saying that Malta is getting electricity from Italy but refusing to help with migrants.

“We give Malta electricity, there is a cable that starts in Ragusa that gives Malta electricity, and Malta refused to help out the Aquarius, which was in its SAR [Search and Rescue] zone,” di Maio said when interviewed on Porta a Porta by Bruno Vespa.

Although this electricity is bought by Malta from European markets, through a link with the electricity grid, Di Maio seemed to imply that Malta is getting free electricity from Italy, when this is not the case.

The two countries have been at loggerheads since the Aquarius incident in early June, which saw Malta and Italy both refusing to take in migrants, who remained at sea until Spain offered to allow the ship to berth in Valencia.

“Nothing will be the same again (in terms of migration),” Di Maio added on Porta a Porta. “Now at least we know that there are other European ports open to migrants: in Spain and France.”

Di Maio’s tough talk comes days after his colleague, Infrastructure Minister Danilo Tonelli, said that if Malta could not cope with its vast search and rescue zone it should hand over part of it.

Malta had replied that Tonelli either is misinformed or trying to stir controversy.

Members of the Cinque Stelle movement had also walked out of a conference which was being addressed by President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca in Sicily.