Labour reduced electricity prices 12 years ago and kept them stable.
Documentary fact. The first Muscat-led PL administration cut residential electricity tariffs by approximately 25% in 2014 (the 'tariff reduction' that was a defining 2013 manifesto promise). Tariffs have been held flat through the entire 2014-2026 window — including the 2022 Russia-Ukraine energy spike and the 2026 Iran flare-up. The combined effect is one of the more stable household electricity-tariff records in the EU.
Documentary fact. The first Muscat-led PL administration cut residential electricity tariffs by approximately 25% in 2014 (the 'tariff reduction' that was a defining 2013 manifesto promise). Tariffs have been held flat through the entire 2014-2026 window — including the 2022 Russia-Ukraine energy spike and the 2026 Iran flare-up. The combined effect is one of the more stable household electricity-tariff records in the EU.
We tested Abela's claim against (1) Enemalta plc published tariff schedules 2013-2026, (2) Maltese Government Budget speeches documenting the 2014 tariff cut and subsequent freeze, (3) Eurostat household electricity-price series (nrg_pc_204) and (4) the Maltese energy-subsidy programme cost record.
True. The first Muscat-led PL administration cut residential electricity tariffs by approximately 25% in 2014 (the 'tariff reduction' that was a defining 2013 manifesto promise). Tariffs have been held flat through the entire 2014-2026 window — including the 2022 Russia-Ukraine energy spike (when European wholesale prices rose 200-400%) and the 2026 Iran flare-up. The combined effect is one of the more stable household electricity-tariff records in the EU. Eurostat's bi-annual electricity-price series confirms Maltese household prices well below EU average throughout the period (see #173 for the EU comparison). Limitations: 'kept stable' has been achieved via the energy-subsidy programme — Enemalta's actual production / import costs varied substantially with wholesale prices, but the retail tariff was held flat by state subsidy (see #219 for the cumulative subsidy total). The claim is correct as a description of consumer experience; the underlying cost picture is more dynamic.
Did Labour really reduce electricity prices 12 years ago — and keep them stable
The 2014 electricity tariff cut was the cornerstone delivery of the first Muscat-led PL administration. Twelve years later, the tariffs are still stable.
Between 2008 and 2012, PN-era tariff increases drove household electricity costs up materially. PL's 2013 manifesto promised reversal. The actual 2014 reduction came in at roughly 25%. Since then, Maltese household electricity tariffs have been held flat through 2026 — including across the 2022 Russia-Ukraine energy spike (when EU wholesale electricity rose ~10x) and the 2026 Iran flare-up.
Whether this stability is fiscally sustainable is the EC and IMF's argument (covered in our R15 fact-check). But the narrow claim — tariffs cut 12 years ago, stable since — is on the public record.
Verdict: True.