The offshore wind farm is expected to cost EUR280 million, while the on shore projects would cost between EUR13 million and EUR18 million. The government will issue tenders for the wind farms to be constructed by the private sector, with the government purchasing the electricity generated.
“Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a detailed and open planning process where everyone will be invited to express himself,” Gonzi said.
“We are not excluding anything, not even the development of deep offshore wind farms, but we have to keep in mind that the government is bound by the target of producing 10% of its energy from clean, renewable sources by 2020, and the country therefore does not have the luxury of being able to wait for new technologies, without seeking to maximize all alternatives.”
Gonzi said Malta would have to pay a heavy price if its target was not attained.
Gonzi said the government’s ultimate purpose was to increase the generation of clean energy, decrease dependence on oil, reduce harmful emissions, and thereby improve the quality of life of the people.
Gonzi said the three locations had been identified after a number of studies, and the government would be submitting to MEPA project description statements for the proposed locations. He said that the government had asked leading consultants to reach their own conclusions on which sites appeared to be best for the location of wind farms.
Gonzi said that Malta had been the promoter of climate change action in the United Nations, but it should do at a national level what it anticipated to be done worldwide.
