Updated: Interconnector permit issued

The permit for the interconnector between Malta and Sicily was issued yesterday by the Environment Ministry in Rome, the government said this morning. It said in a statement that the permit includes the authorisation for connection with interconnectors at Marina di Ragusa and for the placing of 20 kilometre cables underground leading to the Terna Substation in Ragusa. The government said the permit was issued after the new government resolved a problem relating to the cable’s route which had been passing through the territory of an Italian oil company. This problem and others, the government said, had not been made divulged by the previous government. The permit includes a number of conditions which have to be met before the works can start. These are expected to be tackled by Enemalta and Terna before May. The authorisation, the government said, also refers to the agreement between Enemalta and the province and council of Ragusa for environmental compensation of €500,000 and €600,000, respectively, as agreed by the previous government. The government said in another statement this evening that the previous government's lack of honesty led to a review of the project's cost and...