Take it from me, Noel Zahra: Joseph surely must have consulted Tony Zarb. And let’s not forget Edward (get one right) Scicluna.

But due to commercial confidentiality, Tony Zarb will issue no statements and will be silent throughout the process. The Mayors of Marsascala, Zejtun, etc will ‘sacrifice’ any additional inconvenience for the good of the country (LP)and will not be bothered with any emissions from the proposed power station.

@ Qeghdin Sew re: selling surplus electricity made in Malta to the European grid.

We are building the inter-connector with Europe in order to obtain cheaper electricity.

Are you proposing selling more expensive Malta made electricity to Europe?

You think that European buyers are that stupid?

Why generate expensive surplus electricity, anyway?

Maybe Scicluna is trying to sell the concept? Not surprising.

You are right but remember that 60 million have recently flown out the window.

GHOXRIN PUNT: you made some assumptions which render your well-written comment somewhat redundant.

You assumed that this promise of a 25% reduction in tariffs was made by normal people.

You assumed that Muscat, Scicluna, Mizzi et al, are above board economists.

You assumed that someone within the LP knows what a ‘PowerPoint’ presentation is.

You assumed that the people for whom the LP’s proposal was aimed at possess the most rudimentary analytical skills.

You however forgot that the principle of “The end justifies the means”, negates any up front and honest information one could safely rely on.
Pity.

Fir-rejalta kixef kollox. Qal li: (1) l-produzzjoni se tiswa 9c6/unit; (2) li se jghati €77M (?) fi tnaqqis lill-konsumatur; (3) li se juza €110M (?) biex ihallas l-investiment u jghin lil Enemalta tqum fuq saqajjha; u (4) li se jrahhas il-kontijiet ezistenti b’25%.

Might as well jghidilna d-dettalji.

EneMalta still has to pay for the Delimara plant and the loans that covered its deficits, another Eur800 million.

That will become about Eur1500 million over 20 years including interests accrued over that period, another Eur750 per year per family.

The fuel costs, wages and running costs still need to be paid. And 25% reduction in bills is being promised?

I will only be convnced if these costs are challenged by the workings Mizzi says he has.

I am not defending the need for Labour’s new power station.

I am not in a position to do so because I do not have access to any information on current and forecast demand of electricity in Malta. Maybe they plan to feed the surplus electricity back in the European grid through the interconnector? I cannot know.

Anyhow. I am simply saying that this whole ‘show us your documents!’ argument is unfair.

If anything, all that I ask is that you think a teeny bit before you give your vote to Joseph.

Surely you do not need to know who I am just because I ask you to think.

1. Joseph Muscat is so smug when he says that he has just the companies to invest in the project that I cannot help feeling that he knows who will be investing. This is not a happy situation because, in all honesty, I’m thinking that it is Sargas all over again, dressed up differently. What if Joseph Muscat REALLY knew who these companies were and he has already struck a deal with them at the cost of selling of our electricity supply?

2. Who would be so stupid to invest over 500 million (because the 360 million in exclusive of gas tanks and the mode of getting gas to Malta) without expecting the world in return? Who is so rich in Malta as to afford that amount of money? He said that even persons in Malta have expressed an interest? John Dalli perhaps? We know that John Dalli is and was chummy chummy with JM.

3. Could it be that the studies are not available because they give away who the investors would be?

4. When JM was asked yesterday whether the investors were a “done deal” he said no, but he was shifting in his seat. Classical body language of a liar.

5. Another very worrying thought is that the time frame given for the completion does not seem to have included the 18 months tendering process. Could it be that JM’s zeal in having found an investor has lead him to forget that a project of this magnitude would require a European tendering procedure? Does JM realise how difficult it is for companies to reach the specs required? Does he realise that many times a tendering procedure of this magnitude is not adjudicated in one hour? It may take months, if not years, for the specs to be met and so on.

I really smell a rat. Something is definitely afoot. I am not a conspiracy theorist and abhor conspiracy theories but all this farce smacks of a fait accompli. I could not help the sensation which assaulted me yesterday that Joseph already knew who the company investing in the project will be, or who the Maltese person will be. I found it most uncanny that Joseph spoke about a Maltese person. Who, in Malta, has connections with people in the gas industry? I can think of a couple, but, let’s face it, it is not a very large number of people.

This whole situation is disquieting me. I might be imagining things – also because I would not trust Joseph Muscat with my pet budgie let alone with the energy policy for an island such as ours – but something is afoot. Am I the only one feeling this?

The question is to whose standards are the products you mentioned made? Not Chinese, I assure you.

Let’s put it another way. Say you are in the market for an offroad SUV. Would you buy a Land Rover, a BMW X5, a Toyota Landcruiser or would you settle for a Chinese Great Wall X240?