Comment of the night
Posted by Last Post:
To my horror I meet people who take Muscat’s proposal and assurances, on such a highly technical issue, seriously.
The election campaign has been truly hijacked. In a way it was to be expected after all the insistence as to the HOW, WHEN and BY HOW MUCH.
During his leadership Muscat has been advocating a Radical Change (Bidla mill-Qiegh) and an earthquake, not only for his party but also for the country.
He has consistently stopped short of specifics and it is now the time for us to know his vision for the future of our country.
Reducing energy bills is one thing, but to embroil the country in arguing the pros and cons of the proposal is a real hijack.
This is worse than Alfred Sant’s promise to abolish VAT. He at least spared us the details of his promise.
Joseph’s proposal is equally heading to a disaster but by presenting it as a doable project (even CET+Duty was doable – it was in effect done) with technical presentations and a lack of answers on missing links is the ultimate electoral gimmick.
To doubting Thomases he has been saying that he has faith, is convinced and even sure that his proposal will work.
To make us believe him he mentions experts and interest from Maltese and international companies. But with such a project, faith and conviction are NOT enough. Such physical and technical projects NEED to be carefully analysed and tested.
He is now saying he will continue to seek EU funds for a gas pipeline to complement the new power station and the gas terminal. Then why all this hurry and expense when we could achieve the same results sequentially and securely at the least cost?
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You know that project for installing smart meters everywhere?
And reading consumption remotely? It’s been going for 5 years and no end in sight.
It was supposed to take two years. I know of someone who believed that estimate.
He’s peddling power stations now.
Dear Daphne, we have been paying high electricity bills for a long time now because of the inefficiency of Enemalta and Gonzipn.
Be thankful if you have a job with which to pay your bills because if the incompetence the PL has shown regarding their energy proposals is any indication of how they will govern the country, nothing is certain any more and you won’t be able to take anything you now have for granted should the PL be elected.
Well, this is exactly what I mean. Why doesn’t this man or woman know the facts?
Why hasn’t he or she been told that we pay high electricity bills because we decided, way back in 1964 to be a independent state and to produce all our electricity ourselves?
This means there’s only one option: hydrocarbons.
First coal, then oil. And there we stayed.
But the population grew and grew, and our energy consumption exploded, and that was all due to personal decisions, not Enemalta or GonziPN.
The solution is right under our very noses: plug into the European energy grid. An interconnection with our nearest neighbour Sicily. So we can use a fuel with more Joules per kilogram.
Nuclear energy. Or at least larger power stations, burning fuel at higher temperatures etc etc with greater efficiency. Better still, renewables. Geothermal. Hydroelectric. Solar and all the rest of it.
I mean, this should be common knowledge.
Should be, my friend. However, the sub-common are about to prevail.
Bang on! Though I really cannot understand how people actual believe that Muscat’s proposal is feasible.
I still am amazed how many people (even public figures) took this proposal seriously from day one.
It also means that many people are having it so good, that their perceptions of the realities both in Malta and elsewhere are really marred.
And someone just passed by, going “il-poplu mhux injorant”!
I think think this government has actually made a mini miracle, because in reality the bills ought to be slightly higher but a significant juggling has stopped that from occurring. But then again some believe this happens automatically with no one thinking how to come about it.
And according to that expert Konrad Mizzi, he is going to reduce your bill by around 26cents per day. And you are going to risk your future for 26 cents per day.
Unbelievable!
But then we know that 70% of the populations are morons.
C. Fenech – the highest hike in my elctricity bill was in Sant’s time when my bill went up from Lm15 to LM45 – three times as much, in one go. At that time I was still working so during the week I consumed very little electricity and water.
My last two bills were 32 and 57 euros respectively.
If you don’t know many countries produce electricity using water energy while we use electricity to produce water.
30,000 families receive help from the government towards their electricity bills – how many countries do that?
What are you doing to reduce your bills?
Dear Mr Fenech
I have just received my electricity bill which is not an estimate but my actual bill. It is cheaper than the electricity and heating bills I used to receive when I used to work abroad over 10 years ago. And my house is about 10 times as large as my apartment in those days.
Going for the more expensive option, as Labour is doing, is not going to reduce the actual cost of generation. All Labour will do is cut the bills and reduce expenditure elsewhere, to compensate for the additional subsidy to you. ie either in health or as they are wont to do, in education.
Oh I forgot to add, in case you forgot that in Sant’s time oil was only $12 a barrel. I hope you know the price of oil today and do you think the price of oil and gas will go down in the near future?
Do you really believe we need another power station? This government is already working on the oil pipeline and connection via cable to the European electricity grid.
Really wondering how come Edward Scicluna hasn’t endorsed this energy plan and its beneficial effects on the economy.
[Daphne – He has indeed.]
Was that the Edward Scicluna who – yesterday, I think – declared tongue in cheek that Malta’s current problems are worse than Spain’s? Somee would not hesitate to say “Hudni Mulej”
When the new power station is built, you have to pay for the inefficiency of Enemalta, for the inefficiency of Muscat PL and also for the profit of the private company.
Does anyone remember Idi Amin? Or the film, ‘The Last King of Scotland?
Be prepared, people.
We have here on the Rock, one scary little shit. He will say to, lie to, and confuse the great unwashed. Just like Idi did.
Guess what happened to Idi, after raping the land and the people.
Go ahead people, do your thing, but think first.
Think.
The answer to Last Post’s question at the end of the comment is easy.
Because sequentially and securely won’t get Muscat elected.
But a cock-eyed mishmash with an enormous waste of money will get him to Castille.
There is at least one part of his scheme that will definitely be redundant. That is the re-gasifier that returns liquid gas to its gaseous state. This will be completely useless once a gas pipeline is in place.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090807/local/call-for-expressions-of-interest-in-undersea-electricity-link.268447
A slow day at The Times newsroom:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130116/odd-news/dies-while-defecating-between-moving-train-cars.453523
Li ma nistax nifem hu, li kif bil-wicc tost kollu jigi Chalie Mangion u l-gremlins ta’ madwaru jikkritikaw lil-gvern fuq id-dejn, meta fi 22 xaghar huma irdupjawh.
There is one big issue which has not been factored in by Joseph and his team of experts – what will happen to people and businesses who are not comfortable to just pay a bill the minute it pops in the letterbox?
People who rely on subsidies, and people who need to pay their bill in monthly instalments (a common practice where large amounts of money are owed to the government and its corporations) will not be able to appease the new private enterprise furnishing us with electricity.
No private enterprise would allow such a practice to go on.
We all know that Enemalta is currently in the red because of the huge arrears which have accumulated over the years – and because the government can absorb these dues as it is currently a state-owned corporation.
a new private enterprise allow this practice to go on?
Are some businesses going to have to lay off people when they receive a bill they realise they have to pay within a few days? How about households which rely heavily on subsidies and any form of assistance they can get from the state because of circumstances which may prevent them from being able to honour certain bills at the end of certain months?
Labour – the party which used to pride itself on its social conscience and on being ‘it-tarka tal-batut’ has suddenly forgotten these elements of our society.
Good comment that you’ve posted Mr Aquilina. Oh God please help us!