Interactive EurObserv’ER Database - Country policy schemes

Solid biomass in Malta

General
Malta has no indigenous resource of fossil fuels and no gas distribution network. Two electricity plants totalling 571 MW are in operation. In August 2006 a Draft Renewable Energy Policy has been published. No specific policy for the uptake of renewables has been developed recently.

According to the Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources the target for the share of energy from renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy in the year 2020 for Malta is 10% (in the year 2005 the share was 0.0%). The Directive has a mandatory 10 % target for transport to be achieved by all Member States, which refers to renewable sources as a whole, not biofuels alone.

Renewable energy projections according to the National Renewable Energy Action Plan for Malta
The National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) for Malta was submitted in July 2010. The target according to Annex I of Directive 2009/28/EC is 10% for the year 2020 and the projected NREAP share in that year is 10.2%. According to the projection, the most important contribution in the year 2020 is expected from renewable electricity (renewable transport) (37 ktoe, 68% of all renewable energy). Second important contribution is expected from wind power (0.3 TWh or 22 ktoe, 40% of all renewable energy). The third largest contribution is from biomass (renewable electricity) (0.1 TWh or 12 ktoe, 21% of all renewable energy). Wind power contribution is expected in the year 2020 from onshore wind (15 MW and 38 GWh) and offshore wind (95 MW and 216 GWh). For solar photovoltaic the 2020 contribution is projected to be 28 MW (43 GWh). For solar thermal the 2020 contribution is projected to be 3 ktoe. The renewable electricity production from solid biomass amounts to 86 GWh (7 ktoe) and for biogas it is expected to be 50 GWh (4 ktoe). The consumption of renewable heat is expected to amount to zero ktoe for solid biomass and 2 ktoe for biogas.

Renewable electricity and heat: solid biomass
The development of biomass energy crops as a renewable energy source is not considered suitable for Malta given existing technologies and resource potential.

Future programme changes expected
No specific information on future policy is available. Malta will focus on support mechanisms for the promotion of renewables, thereby targeting for contributions from EU structural funds.

Sources
Renewable energies fact sheet for Malta, http://ec.europa.eu/energy/energy_policy/facts_en.htm (sourced August 2008)

Times of Malta, http://www.timesofmalta.com (accessed August 2008)

The implementation of Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market, Ministry of resources and rural affairs, May 2008

Ministry of resources and rural affairs, http://www.mra.org.mt (accessed August 2008)

Interactive EurObserv’ER Database, http://www.eurobserv-er.org (status 2007)

EREC, Renewable energy policy review, Malta, March 2009

Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, http://ec.europa.eu/energy/renewables/transparency_platform_en.htm

The National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs) are all published on the Transparency Platform on Renewable Energy: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/renewables/transparency_platform/action_plan_en.htm (accessed July - December 2010)

Renewable Energy Projections as Published in the National Renewable Energy Action Plans of the European Member States, http://www.ecn.nl/nreap (accessed December 2010)

Interactive EurObserv’ER Database
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Last update: November 2011

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