Interconnector averts blackouts after new power plant trips twice

Two nationwide blackouts were averted in October thanks to the interconnector after the new Electrogas power station tripped twice, Times of Malta has learnt. Enemalta’s power plant had to be temporarily run on gas oil and the energy provider had to switch its energy sourcing to the Sicily interconnector to prevent blackouts that would have affected the whole country, sources familiar with the incident said. The Electrogas power station failed on October 5 and 6, according to the sources. The government has signed an 18-year agreement with Electrogas, binding Enemalta to buy gas from the new plant’s operators. This gas is supplied by Azerbaijan’s State-owned energy company, Socar, which owns a third of the new plant, along with Siemens and a partnership between the Tumas and Gasan groups. READ: Evidence of unreliability and faults at new power plant A source said the failures came at a financial cost for Enemalta, which threatened to hold Electrogas responsible for losses and damages incurred as a result. The Times of Malta reported on Friday that Enemalta chairman Frederick Azzopardi had flagged “evidence of unreliability and faults” in both the construction and operation of...