Energy Minister Miriam Dalli and the government-controlled Regulator for Energy and Water Services (REWS) are keeping a tight lid on 13 proposals received for the possible installation of a 50MW offshore solar farm off the coast of Delimara.

Following the publication of a Preliminary Market Consultation (PMC) (a form of initial tender) last January, the government said it received 13 “strong proposals” from both local and international companies.

However, despite various questions, both Dalli and REWS refused to give any details on the proposals – not even the names of the companies who made them.

Map indicating a potential preferred area for a 50MW PV farm with corresponding cable route to Delimara Power Station. Source: REWS

According to REWS CEO Marjohn Abela, the son of a former Labour Minister who was made CEO of the ‘independent’ regulator, any information on submissions may prejudice an eventual full tender.

“The list of those who submitted a proposal is not issued since this can be potentially detrimental to the economic operators’ subsequent participation in a call for tenders,” REWS said.

“To preserve the confidentiality of proposals, disclosing such ‘confidential’ information is avoided since this has the potential of prejudicing fair competition between economic operators,” the regulator insisted.

This reasoning contradicts the government’s position on a €600 million incinerator tender given to Bonnici Brothers by Wasteserv after issuing a PMC followed by a tender.

In that case, and against established procurement rules, the government not only published the names of those submitting proposals but revealed preliminary financial bids, giving some participants in the tender an advantage.

The court recently struck down the incinerator tender.

According to REWS, the proposals will be studied by a technical committee and further clarification will be made until a full tender is issued.

According to the government, the sea area close to Delimara was identified for such a project due to its proximity to Enemalta’s electricity infrastructure, facilitating a more secure connection to the national grid, with minimal transmission losses.

This is not the first time that Malta has proposed large-scale renewable energy solutions.

In 2009, the government proposed the installation of three large-scale wind farms, the biggest one an offshore facility off Mellieha, in the area better known as Is-Sikka l-Bajda.

However, soon after Labour was returned to power in 2013, the projects were abandoned, and the new administration stated that it would invest in large-scale solar energy projects instead.

Nothing has been done since then.