hot air melted electrical cables in malta What is the hottest month in Malta? What is the hot temperature in Malta? Is Malta still hot in October? Is Malta too hot in July?
hot air melted electrical cables in malta What is the hottest month in Malta? What is the hot temperature in Malta? Is Malta still hot in October? Is Malta too hot in July?
power outages in malta
What is the electric power in Malta?
hot air melted electrical cables in malta
What is the hottest month in Malta?
What is the hot temperature in Malta?
Is Malta still hot in October?
Is Malta too hot in July?
Power outages: Miriam Dalli must step up
Leaving people without electricity for 12 hours or more in this heatwave is already scary enough; What people least expect is information about what happened and how long they expect to be without a power source.
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CHOKING SHARE
Two back-to-back heatwaves that hit the central Mediterranean in the past few weeks have pushed temperatures above 40°C, causing widespread unrest and disruption.
Which country has the most power outages?
How do I report a power outage in Malta?
How do I find out if there was a power cut in my area?
What is the electric power in Malta?
Malta could not escape its wrath as temperatures soared above 40°C for a few days last week, and this trend is expected to continue for most of next week.
As a result of intense heat waves, power outages were experienced in many regions. As people turned on their ACs, underground cables carrying a heavier load melted, causing major blackouts in various areas.
Many families in Mosta, Naxxar and Żurrieq were left without electricity for not only hours but thousands of euros in damaged perishable goods.
Enemalta defended itself by saying that the power outages were caused by damage to the electrical wiring caused by the intense heat. Digging roads to repair the damage has complicated repairs and has contributed to the longer time required to restore power to homes and businesses. And the company's senior officials did not ignore the power outages that will continue in the coming days due to the constant bout of high temperatures.
Now, this isn't the first heatwave Malta has experienced, and it isn't the first time underground cables have burst due to heat. In August 2014, the Marsa distribution center caught fire and several underground cables burst, tearing the roads above them.
It could be argued that this is an act of God and that Enemalta has no control over natural phenomena such as heat waves. It can be said that there may be a fault in the cables and this is beyond the control of the company. It could be argued that what happened was nobody's fault and that consumers had to suffer the consequences until the damage was repaired.
And while all these arguments are partially valid, the fact that cable failures have occurred so extensively in such a short time is evidence of an outdated and faulty electrical distribution infrastructure.
The government committed to invest 90m euros in the distribution grid last year, but not enough was done about the old electricity cables that burned due to the apparent increased load.
Little attention has been given to the distribution system over the years, at the entire fan show regarding power plant projects and interconnectors to ensure there is an adequate supply of electricity. Combined with a rapidly growing population and strong economic growth, the lack of investment in the distribution network was a disaster waiting to happen.
The prolonged heatwaves this week were the last straw when the air conditioning units started overworking. Thousands of households spent hours without electricity, while others experienced fluctuating voltage. And with climate change experts warning of more frequent and longer periods of extreme weather, the future looks bleak unless action is taken to address the shortfalls.
For starters, Enemalta should clearly explain how the €90 million investment in its distribution network has been spent. How much of this amount goes to local substations to improve supply stability and how much to actual cabling infrastructure buried underground.
Malta needs a stable and reliable electricity grid suitable for our climate and Enemalta must strive to achieve this goal. After all, when the Labor government tied up Shanghai Electric Power as a strategic investor in Enemalta in 2014, some of the promised investment was supposed to result in an improved distribution network.
But the company should be able to better communicate with its own customers, especially when major outages occur. Leaving people without electricity for 12 hours or more in this heatwave is already scary enough; What people least expect is information about what happened and how long they expect to be without a power source.
There is also the issue of compensation. Given the squeaky infrastructure and the exceptional circumstances of the developed government, the company needs to convince the company of the need to provide gratuitous compensation, at least to homes and businesses in areas where power outages are the longest.
In the 2014 incident, the government undertook to pay €25 per household to approximately 8,000 households in the Qormi and Luqa regions who were left without electricity for more than 12 hours. The amount was equivalent to more than a week of electricity for a few households. Businesses were excluded from the one-time arrangement.
Given similar circumstances, this time households and businesses should be given a similar gratuitous compensation. And it should be Enemalta that pays for it by deducting it from the next electricity bill.