Delimara fuel oil probe still pending five years later

An inquiry into the quality of the fuel oil that was being used at the Delimara and Marsa power stations is still pending, five years after it was first initiated.

This information was divulged in Parliament by Minister for Energy and Water Management Joe Mizzi in response to a parliamentary question by PN MP Jason Azzopardi on whether the said inquiry into the quality of fuel oil being used at Delimara and Marsa was completed.

The Minister, in response, said that the probe was still pending, and reiterated this when Azzopardi emphasised that the inquiry had been pending for a number of years now.

In March 2016, then Energy Minister had told the PN MP in response to a similar parliamentary question that the inquiry would be concluded would be finalised in the weeks after that date. 

The inquiry referred to by Azzopardi in his parliamentary question was called on 22 October 2013 by then Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi after confidential information was submitted to the government which cast doubts on the quality of oil which was being used at the Delimara and Marsa power stations.

The independent investigation is being led by Judge Emeritus Philip Sciberras, and it was reported that it would seek first seek to confirm whether the claims that oil consignments were off specifications were correct.  If the claims were proven to be correct, the investigation would continue with the aim of determining who had been responsible for accepting the said oil consignment and what steps would be taken.

The inquiry was called after information was revealed through the Public Acconts Committee which showed that, in the recent past, fuel oil purchased by Enemalta Corportaion did not match the specifications as set out by tender conditions.

Back then Philip Borg, the manager of the then Enemalta Petroleum Division, had revealed that the power station's fuel sulphur content was sometimes found to be too high. This was in spite of the fact that the company was paying a premium for low-sulphur oil in order to minimise pollution.

 

 

 

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