Is Electrogas still using the land for free, even though it’s done nothing since?
Back in September the government announced that it was letting Electrogas have the land for free on which the company is to build a power station.
That was five months away from the March deadline and the government’s stated reason for favouring Electrogas in this manner was that it wanted to speed up the process by avoiding the technical hoops necessary for leasing public land.
So instead of having Electrogas lease the land for money, the government is allowing the company to borrow the land for no money at all. And that way it circumvents the legal process.
But speeding up the process was hardly a credible excuse.
By that time, a year had gone by already since Electrogas were named the winners of the ‘competitive process’ for the new power station.
I think it more likely that the company couldn’t come up with the wherewithal, financial or otherwise, to lease the land and so a year in the government said, “Look, have it for free if that helps, and we’ll say you’re borrowing it.”
Now another three to four months have gone by and still nothing is happening, yet it’s smiles all round and trips to Baku plus bail-outs of 250 million euros from China.
I don’t know whether it’s my imagination, but the government seems to have been taken over almost entirely by its fixation with Malta’s power supply and how to get itself out of the mess it has created.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140909/local/updated-government-lends-site-to-power-station-consortium.535033
Can Gasan and Fenech be allowed to keep this piece of strategic land, in return for them releasing the government from the commitment with Electrogas?
Why is it that I suspect this is the deal behind the scenes?
Xejn, PortoMilnerTomasoUnion Tower gej hemmhekk, ghalhekk Joseph se jwaqqa’ c-cumnija.
Veduta mill-isbah.
do you really believe this land has any real estate value??
Remove your blinkers and stop living in alice in wonderland!!!
[Daphne – In what sort of perverted scenario would anyone live in Alice in Wonderland, as distinct from Wonderland itself?]
Very true – please ignore “Alice”!
Yet the real questions remain VERY pertinent.
A. What real estate value does this property have for property speculators or any form of development?
[Daphne – Land value is not only speculative/financial, but even if it were, this land by definition has a great deal of industrial value. It is in fact considered indispensable for the construction of a power station.]
B. Government last week stated that Electrogas are paying the installments of the 30m – hence the Electrogas project is very much alive;
[Daphne – A non sequitur.]
C. It is not true that Electrogas are using the land for free. It is a blatant lie. It was reported on the press that it is officially leased against regular payment and I believe these matters should be a matter of a public deed.
[Daphne – On the contrary, the press reported a government statement that Electrogas has been “lent” the land free of charge. It was precisely from this press report last September that I obtained the information: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140909/local/updated-government-lends-site-to-power-station-consortium.535033 . There appear to have been no press reports since then saying that Electrogas is now paying rent, which is exactly why I asked that question. If you have evidence to the contrary, please inform the newspapers.]
Therefore this whole piece is a blatant lie and pure speculation.
[Daphne – I posted the link to Times of Malta’s report immediately beneath my post. Clearly, you didn’t read it. Instead you rushed to the defence of Electrogas/the government because of course they couldn’t possibly have the land for free, ma tarax, Daphne is telling blatant lies. And yet, they do have the land for free, so I’m afraid the laugh’s on you.]
Spoken by the inhabitant of a 300 square kilometre microstate.
I see. Dom Mintoff gets awarded close to a million euros in cash, during Alfred Sant’s stint in government, and Labour supporters think it’s only fair enough “because his property/land is worth it”.
Then the same supporters think it’s okay for the same land to be given for free to Gasan, Fenech et al “because it has no value”.
As always, it’s us taxpayers who get stiffed. Do you pay taxes, Mr Farrugia?
I am not an estate agent, but Dom Mintoff was given a handsome sum as compensation for his Gharix in the same area.
Incidentally, does land used for industrial purposes lose its value?
Anthony, you will explain why no-one from Electrogas was with the PM in Azerbaijan.
You will also explain how you think it possible Electrogas chooses to ‘pay’ rent when the power station is still a good three years away, if it ever happens.
You will also explain why Mizzi keeps moving dates, publishes memos of understanding which clearly show the one sided state of affairs, and refuses to provide any detail to the consortium’s commitments.
You will, finally, please state whether in your view, these entrepreneurs have any idea how to deliver what they supposedly should.
All I see is an exchange of interests, signatures and rushed permits elsewhere. All at our expense.
I hope you realise that’s your land in question there. What with local banks and their obsession with collateral in the form of acres.
And who said those 30 million were to be paid in instalments?
The pre-electoral spiel was a lump payment to make up for the reduction in bills.
Or is this another case of Muscat being misunderstood?
Hilarious, this con-artist mentions a ‘project’, but never commits to a written document showing dates and deadlines.
Wasn’t Mizzi supposed to publish a milestone schedule?
I’m so sick and tired of this.
A consortium supposedly building a new power station cannot find €30 million for the up-front payment that should have been effected in March 2014? Ever heard of ‘investment’ by installments? Professor Scicluna might call this Mintoffeconomics, meaning utter rubbish.
The barons get free land while we should be merry with our mere 58c increase to our salaries.
QEDIN SEW.
When is the ‘Interconnector’ going to be commissioned? It should have been up and running a year ago.
That’s the other unfolding mystery, it was reported at one point the Chinese want a piece of that, which will be where our autonomy ends.
Strangely lost in translation in the press.
These people are real and proper traitors, and that’s statement of fact.
That’s a mystery which dwarfs anything in the last fifty years, including Karin Grech.
Why was the project never completed by the previous administration? Was it just a sop? Did they really mean to complete it? If they did, who fucked up?
Why didn’t the Labour government clean up the mess if there was one? Do they intend to complete the project?
Who pays for what? Who gets paid for what? Who’s working on it? Is it still the same consortium?
I seem to detect a lot of turning of blind eyes and collusion between opposing parties.
If it’s for free, I want it too, so it’s value/price has already gone up. That’s how things work.