Energy crisis generator costs under NAO scrutiny

Energy Minister Miriam Dalli has again failed to disclose how much Enemalta is spending on temporary generators, telling parliament that the information is being collected and examined by the National Audit Office (NAO).

Her reply leaves unanswered questions about the rental and operating costs of generators deployed across Malta’s electricity distribution network, as well as how extensively they have been used.

Nationalist MP Mark Anthony Sammut asked Dalli to answer an earlier question, seeking expenditure and operating hours for 2025 and 2026 up to the reply date.

Dalli supplied neither figure.

Instead, she said the requested information was being gathered and examined by the NAO as part of an ongoing audit.

Her response, considered as another attempt to hide information, offers no timetable for disclosure and does not explain why the ministry cannot provide parliament with the figures while the audit proceeds.

It follows earlier failures to provide information about the cost of emergency generators used during successive summers of power cuts on Dalli’s watch.

In 2023, The Shift revealed that Enemalta had withheld details of generator direct orders requested through Freedom of Information. The request covered individual costs, deployment locations and duration of use.

Enemalta said the information would eventually appear in the Government Gazette, without specifying when.

Sources claimed that Dalli had instructed Enemalta to hire Nexos generators for Żurrieq – her constituency – during the Tal-Karmnu feast, powering streets used for band marches while other communities faced outages.

In 2024, The Shift reported hired generators were costing Enemalta thousands an hour, according to engineers at the company.

Enemalta was reportedly relying on around 50 generators, mainly from Nexos – a private company close to Labour – with others supplied by Bonnici Brothers. The engineers’ estimate concerned their combined cost when used together.

Power cuts and massive blackouts continued unabated, mainly caused by a lack of investment in the power grid and mismanagement.