Malta relied on interconnector electricity in 2015

Electricity imported over the interconnector surpassed that produced by the power stations for eight straight months last year, official figures show.
The interconnector that links Malta’s energy grid with that in Sicily was commissioned in April last year and from May onwards was responsible for supplying the bulk of electricity.
According to the National Statistics Office, between May and December the interconnector supplied almost 989,000 megawatt-hours as opposed to 579,000 megawatt-hours produced by the power stations.
The interconnector was not operational in January and February and was only in testing mode in March and April. This is why the overall figure for 2015 showed that the power stations produced more electricity than the interconnector.

The interconnector made it possible to close down the heavily-polluting Marsa power station, as the country became less dependent on power plants for its energy needs.
The shift to the interconnector led to a reduction of 47 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions from power station operations. This was the single largest drop in CO2 emissions ever recorded. However, the situation was also helped by the increase in energy generated...