This follows a €45 million general election pledge for a Malta-Gozo high-voltage link

This follows a €45 million general election pledge for a Malta-Gozo high-voltage link

The government has requested the National Audit Office to carry out a review of the work undertaken by Enemalta on Malta's electricity distribution system

The Nationalist Party has accused Prime Minister Robert Abela of attempting to shift responsibility for recent nationwide electricity outages onto Enemalta instead of accepting political accountability for government's handling of the country's energy infrastructure. In a statement, the Opposition said the Prime Minister was seeking to blame the state-owned energy company following several days of power cuts that disrupted households and businesses across Malta. The PN said that, as Enemalta is wholly government-owned, responsibility for its performance ultimately rests with Energy Minister Miriam Dalli and Prime Minister Abela. The Opposition questioned who was responsible for ensuring that Enemalta had the necessary investment, workforce and infrastructure to cope with rising electricity demand, arguing that these decisions fell within the Government's remit. The PN maintained that it was government's responsibility to prepare the electricity network for population growth, increasing energy consumption and periods of extreme summer temperatures. It also said that infrastructure investment should have been carried out before the current difficulties emerged, rather than in response to the crisis. The PN said that the Prime Minister could not distance himself from responsibility when problems arose, noting that the Labour administration has been in government for 13 years. The Opposition also defended Enemalta employees, saying they should not bear the political consequences of what it described as failures in planning. It praised workers for their efforts to restore electricity supplies, highlighting the long hours, difficult conditions and high temperatures under which they have been working. The PN called on government to provide appropriate compensation to Enemalta employees working under what it described as extraordinary circumstances, arguing that the workers deserved recognition for their service rather than criticism. The Opposition said it would continue to press for political accountability, greater investment in the country's electricity infrastructure and a long-term strategy to ensure Malta's power network can meet current and future demand. It also reiterated its support for Enemalta workers, describing them as part of the solution rather than the cause of the recent disruptions.