Well, what a surprise. It turns out that Sargas has a business relationship with John Dalli & Associates
Absolutely shameless
UPDATED AT END OF POST
No wonder his manservant Saviour at John Dalli Today is pushing it so very hard.
Just look at this: it’s been staring us in the face all along, and the only thing necessary was a simple Google search.
The Sunday Times
September 23, 2007
By Simonne Pace
Offshore power plant could help Malta solve CO2 crisis
(…)
In his role as adviser to Sargas, former Finance Minister John Dalli told The Sunday Times that Malta, faced with the problem of an ongoing, increasing demand for energy, “needs more and more energy as we develop”.
“And, as one moves on to the next generation of our economy, as we’re doing with SmartCity, services, and the e-economy that we want to push so hard, then it’s not just a question of producing the power, but of securing power production. We cannot afford failures, and that is why we need total security. This will surely solve the problem,” Mr Dalli said.
“This is a unique technology, which can work well for Malta, and has the possibility of eventually giving the consumer much more stable and lower prices than what we have today, due to the nature of the systems we are using.”
The suggestion by Sargas would be for Malta to have an offshore power plant, ideally built on a rig, out at sea, and the energy piped to Malta through cables.Discussing with Mr Boerseth the possibilities and set-up of this offshore power plant that would capture over 90 per cent of CO2 emissions and produce fresh water as a by-product, Mr Dalli spoke of the political, environmental and economic benefits of this type of technology.
“This would mean a big ecological plus for Malta. Our vision to have a green Malta is not just an environmental issue, but also an economic one: and this is the way to go.”
(…)
“Our calculations are that prices at which energy could roll out to the consumer would be cheaper than today. All in all, this is a viable project,” Mr Dalli said.
Proposing this process together with Mr Boerseth, Mr Dalli admits it is not a decision that can be taken independently, but by all partners. “However, once Boerseth is in Malta, we want to make the country aware that there is a solution out there. We hope to invite interested parties to go, see and verify that the system truly works once the demonstration plant in Stockholm starts to operate.”
“If Malta wants to act fast in grappling with the CO2 emissions problem in order to meet its commitments, then it pays us to finance the feasibility study rather than pay penalties for excessive emissions.”
———-
An EU Commissioner should not be conducting private business. John Dalli has not been able to leave his Maltese minister/Libyan business mindset behind him.
In The Times today, a report written by former Saviour Balzan employee Kurt Sansone:
The Norwegian company was at the centre of political controversy over the past few weeks after the Labour Party accused the government of ignoring the proposal when it was made 18 months ago after European Commissioner John Dalli put Sargas in touch with the Administration.
This is scandalous. And if John Dalli thinks that there is nothing out of order in his behaviour, then it is scandalous too that he was put in that position.
Just like Sargas and its plans to ship out our gas, we have exported our pollution problem.
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Read the full newspaper report here:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20070923/local/offshore-power-plant-could-help-malta-solve-co2-crisis.4244
I thought there was something fishy about this Sargas development.
The question now is whether Labour have entered into some kind of agreement with Sargas to develop this power plant if they win the next election.
[Daphne – I think the bigger questions are about any fees or commission paid/to be paid to John Dalli & Associates.]
I don’t like the haste with which Joseph Muscat took the idea on board.
Once he remarked that the Opposition is not in a situation to do research and studies about proposed projects. (I forgot the project in question). So, where did he find the money this time?
And commission on commission from Dalli & Co to part-finance the PL election campaign.
Jaqq !
Well, well, well so Johnny Dalli is (was?) Sargas adviser/representative in Malta after all. So all the pieces fall into place now.
Did we say he is a Commissioner?
Finally I am understanding what ‘Commissioner’ means! Thanks.
Nice one, Daphne.
This actually makes the background of the Sargas story far more interesting.
This is a brilliant piece of investigative journalism. No wonder this blog is followed by so many people.
[Daphne – One of my friends found it, Antoine. Credit where due. But even so, it is hardly concealed evidence: it is a four-year-old report in The Sunday Times. We all knew John Dalli was in there somewhere, which was the only possible explanation why he is pushing so hard, even to the point of debasing himself on Super One. It was just a matter of getting it on paper. ]
As EU Commissioner, Dalli should have stopped running his own business. He’s doing like Mugliett did when he was minister for transport.
When the power plant is commissioned the EU commissioner’s firm would be entitled to a 5% commission on the €900,000,000 deal.
That’s €45,000,000, tondi, tondi (allow me another exclamation mark please Daphne): !!!
It seems that Dalli is more interested about his personal profit than his EU responsibilities.
After four years even Dalli forgot about the Maltese workers, Koreans are cheaper.
X’guffagni ta’ nies.
The next time he visits Joe Grima to weep about how nobody loves him anynore, maybe he can tell us all about it. Miskin, I’m sure he only has the country’s best interests at heart
As always, one better than any news media. Well done, Daphne and keep it up.
What will his EU boss have to say about this. I do not think such associations by an EU commissioner are allowed.
Is there something we can do to bring this to the Commission’s attention? Apologies if the answer is obvious; I am not very knowledgeable about such matters.
This is journalistic gold. It’s a pity that the Times itself did not make the connection.
John Dalli’s behaviour is amoral. He even wanted Gaddafi saved, now this comes to light. Who can trust this sneaky man?
Is it a coincidence that Daewoo is involved with Sargas?
http://www.carboncapturejournal.com/displaynews.php?NewsID=844
http://archive.maltatoday.com.mt/2001/0216/local18.html
I wonder what was going on behind the scences when Mid Med Bank was sold for the paltry sum of Lm81 million.
Nghiduha kif inhi, ir-ragel mhux cuc, la issa ma jistax ibieghha lil-Gaddafi issa jipprova jqannana biha u jiehu is-senserija.
Allura ta’ Gahan li jien nistaqsi kif il-Griegi, l-Ispanjoli u c-Ciprijotti li ghandhom tant ghadam taz-zebbug u problemi finanzjarji ,ma’ hatfuhx fil-kelma u qabdu u xtraw nofs tuzzana minn dawn il-magni tad-dawl?
U Joseph it-tifel tas-salesman kif ma ndunax li Dalli dahlu fl-ixkora?
Jew forsi issa jibghatlu hamper ikbar minn ta’ Bondi+ ghal-Milied?
Lil min tafu issaqsix ghalih.
Isn’t it ironic that up through 2004, John Dalli used to feature regularly in the Super One news on allegations of corruption, so much that the MLP then nicknamed him “the Nationalist version of Lorry Sant”. And today the same Dalli is MLPs advisor. Typical desperate behavior of a Skip Party.
In fact, no wonder JD was called Johnny Cash.
Will dear Joseph push for an investigation by the General Auditor? Is he not smelling corruption and conflict of interest here? Facciol.
And the labour sheep plod along.
Is this the change the idiots are talking about?
If that is not the change they are talking about, then maybe it is the following:
“Il-Partit Laburista Malti fi Brussel impressjona lill-partiti l-ohra membri tal-Partit Socjalista Ewropew ghall-ammont ta’ zghazagh li qeghdin jinghaqdu mieghu. Flimkien mal-mexxej Joseph Muscat, Alex Sciberras Trigona u Helena Dalli inghaqdu hmistax il-zghazugh u zghazugha ghall-Konvenzjoni Progressiva fi Brussel fejn qieghed jigi diskuss il-futur tal-PSE u kif jista’ jkollna Ewropa ahjar. Il-Partit taz-zghazagh!”
Cyrus Engerer, Facebook Wall, 10 hours ago.
AST zaghzugh? The man who engineered Labour’s ties with Gaddafi is a zaghzugh?
When I read your previous article and was leaving my computer this afternoon I said to myself that I would not be surpriesd that Daphne would very soon let us know that Johnny boy has his finger in the pie. Bingo.
But why is everybody so surprised that John Dalli is involved with Sargas. When I heard John Dalli talk about this project the first time I immediately had no doubt that he was involved.
And do you think that when Dr. Gonzi got rid of him it was just because of the hospital report?
Dalli reminds me of “tini sitta u ntik sold”.
So, if Sargas have been at it since (at least) 2007, how come they could not mention ONE plant they have been operating successfully so that Enemalta can see for itself and request performance data?
Would we have to wait until 2016 and then find out? The same as the 51 promises/proposals/dreams/hallucinations put forward by Joseph?
If there was no Daphne, we would have had to invent her.
Now – WILL the Times (the original source of Daphne’s scoop) and other independents pick up on this as is their simple professional duty? Investigative journalism has almost ceased to exist in this country, for fear of putting anyone’s nose out of joint. Spineless gits.
Don’t forget that there are only reporters here in Malta, and they are not capable of carrying out any investigative journalism. The few that pose as investigative journalits are only capable of scratching the surface and they do it with hdura and with an agenda.
This is the fantastic cheap energy project that Anglu Rekort must have been referring to on Bondi +.
No wonder the PL were flabbergasted that the government gave the suggestion short shrift.
Lawrence Gonzi would not touch anything coming from Dalli with a barge pole. Shame on him.
The investment involved is ginormous.
The commissions mind boggling.
The PL is very interested.
Issa kollox car kristall.
The rapidity and ease with which Commissioner Dalli sold this Sargas project to Joseph Muscat’s Labour is quite mind boggling.
Were they not damning him for the Daewoo and other episodes not so long ago?
What brought on this sudden change of heart, one wonders?
[Daphne – It’s not mind-boggling at all, but bloody obvious. Read my column tomorrow. ‘You help us defeat Lawrence Gonzi, we’ll buy your client’s power station, and you’ll get your cut.’]
What surprises me most is their obvious contempt for people’s intelligence. Isnt it obvious that something fishy was afoot and it was only a matter of time before one ends up putting two and two together? Want to bet now that the wasp from FAA will be flogging Sargas to all and sundry pretty soon as well?
And what about OUR cut ?
Kif qal darba Alfred Sant., AHNA MAKKU!
And some more gas from MT
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Gas-pipeline-expensive-alternative-says-Sargas-CEO
Kull ma ghazel Joseph sarlu suf, jew ahjar Sar gass.
U dan ghadu l-anqas sar prim ministru….”meta nkun prim ministru jien se niehu decizjonijiet kontroversjali, bhall xi xirja ta’ magna tad-dawl ta’ xi disgha mitt milljun ewro bla sejha ghal-offerti” u c-cwiec fuq it-Times u l-Malta Today jitmashnu l-ghala Gonzi m’accettahiex.
Dak ghaqal? Dawk soluzzjonijiet!
Darba Gorg Bonello Du Puis, Alla jahfirlu, kien qal “ghala uliedna m’ghandhomx jerfghu bicca mill-piz tal-power station ta’ Dellimara, huma se jgawdu minnha wkoll” .- kemm kienu ghajruh tal-Labour dak iz-zmien.
U issa Joseph-Soluzzjonijiet b’din il-magna tad-dawl irid jghabbi mhux bicca lil-uliedna imma l-piz kollu tad-dejn lil-uliedna u l-ulied ulied uliedna.
INKOMPETENTI jew KORROTT?
It-tnejn.
Careful, Daph, he may report you to the Broadcasting Authority. But thankfully there is no Bloggers Authority.
If Joseph Muscat is to be taken seriously, one of his 51 promises should have been to investigate the privatisation of Mid-Med Bank, which happened by means of a John Dalli “direct order”, without any announcement of any expression of interest with the intent of privatising Malta’s largest bank.
The selling price had hardly covered the value of the Mid-Med properties, let alone the goodwill of the bank.
But unfortunately Eddie had full faith in Dalli at the time, as Malta’s financial wizard.
I recall very heated debates in the Chamber of Commerce Council about the give-away price.
Hallina, Joseph – another one for your skip and good riddance.
Hey, Joseph Muscat, here is something for Evarist Bartolo to take to the Auditor General for immediate investigation.
http://money.canoe.ca/money/business/canada/archives/2011/09/20110906-113950.html
“Shares of SNC-Lavalin Group dropped in early trading Tuesday after news of a corruption investigation against the company’s employees and global growth concerns.”
“After the market close on Friday a World Bank spokesman said Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police were investigating employees of SNC following a referral from the Bank about alleged corruption involving a multi-billion dollar bridge project in Bangladesh.”
“An international consortium led by the World Bank has agreed to lend Bangladesh up to $2.9 billion for the project.”
And there is much more on the internet.
SNC Lavallin is one of the two partners of Sargas in the CO2 powerstation experiments.
Here is Joseph’s 9th Proposal in his 15-Measures Against Corruption:
“9. Those who are blacklisted because of corruption by international organisations such as the World Bank, the EU or the Bank for European Investment will be automatically disqualified from bidding for government contracts.”
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=106011
Joseph Muscat’s and Labour’s plan to acquire Sargas-Daewoo-SNC Lavallin power station is now severly compromised.
Joseph, we do not want to pay the “Taxxa Tal-Korruzzjoni” as you put it.
Now I understand why Sargas’ original proposal was for the CO2 gas to be stored in underground unused LIBYAN oil wells…
The Sargas proposal is a demonstration project. Demonstration projects are not inherently bad or good BUT:
1. all investment has to come directly from private (or international research) funds and not public funds;
2. the government has to be assured of a completely free service for a reasonable minimum nmber of years;
3. following this period, the service costs need to be calculated through a well defined formula i.e. the costs can be estimated, if possible at the time of commissioning;
4. there have to be adequate measures to limit the chance and to make good for any environmental damage that can arise frm such a venture;
5. the government needs to have adequate backup resources to cover the plant’s output, which means that the Delimara power station needs to be operational, and so though the cost of the fuel might b reduced, the power station overheads would remain practically the same;
6. there must be adequate measures to limit possible damage from any downtime that should include the possibility of widespread power cuts (that could include continental cuts – once we are attached to the European grid).
If all these conditions shall be met, then it might be very interesting to look at the feasibility of such a venture.
BUT seeing that in over six years, Sargas has not been able to convince any government to take it up, then I have great doubts that thy are ready to implement any of points 1 to 6, let alone all of them.
Of course not, they’re not interested in CCS.
All they want is to impose coal fired plants, to blackmail the EU into accepting CCS, thus coal. The distortion seems to be that of linking CCS to their fuel, which is the exact opposite of the nature of CCS, it works best with cleaner fuels.
The latest offensive following the damage caused by Fukushima to public perception of nuclear power.
And, as long as this is still a research project, the probability of success is at best 50:50. Now that means that the results must be multiplied by a factor of 0.5. Which means that the electricity prices in the financial feasibility model must be doubled to come to the same level of feasibility that they are working on. Hence no reduction in the price of electricity.
Is there a Sargas power station anywhere, to enable the people concerned to see at first had the succesful, or otherwise, operation of such a power station?
‘ offshore power plant that would capture over 90 per cent of CO2 emissions and produce fresh water as a by-product…..’
They can’t even get their technology to work.
Here we are, diligently doing our research to gather an informed opinion and you provide all the answers we need.
Enough said.
Jien kurjuz hafna ghalhekk nixtieq inkun naf:-
1. Jista John Dalli, li nemmen li l-operat tieghu dejjem kien trasparenti, jghidilna kemm thallas tal-konsulenza tieghu ma’ Sargas?
2. Kemm thallas talli pprova jbellahha lill-Gvern Malti?
3. Kemm kien se jithallas bhala konsulent ta’ Sargas kieku l-Gvern ta’ Gonzi accetta l-proposta tieghu?
4. Veru li kien se jdahhal il-miljuni fil-but tieghu kieku rnexxilu l-pjan tieghu?
5. Veru li Joseph Muscat weghdu l-Presidenza ta’ Malta lil John Dalli jekk jirbah l-Elezzjoni Generali li jmiss?
Ghal-lum dawn bizzejjed.
Just read your article on The Malta Independent. One suggestion… the picture would be clearer in people’s minds if timeframes are highlighted (perhaps on your blog), as follows.
February 2004: Dalli loses party leadership contest to Gonzi
July 2004: Dalli resigns from post of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion
July 2004 – March 2008: As a backbencher, he was free to pursue private business and during this period we are told that he has been appointed adviser to Sargas (as a result, we have The Times article during this period – dated 23 September 2007). During this time, he sets up a consultance business in Libya and was director of a Libyan glass manucturing company.
March 2008: Appointed Minister for Social Policy – all private interests should have been shed (daughter handed over all consultancy business)
February 2010: Appointed European Commissioner
November 2010: Anglu Farrugia’s Freudian Slip and all Dalli/Sargas connections appear to be still in place…