Malta remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels, especially gas, for electricity generation.
Eurostat 2024: Malta had the highest fossil-fuel share in EU electricity production at 85%. Domestic generation is overwhelmingly gas-fired, supplemented by the Italy interconnector. Documentary fact.
Eurostat 2024: Malta had the highest fossil-fuel share in EU electricity production at 85%. Domestic generation is overwhelmingly gas-fired, supplemented by the Italy interconnector. Documentary fact.
Eurostat data from 2024 shows Malta had the highest fossil-fuel share in EU electricity production at 85%. The domestic generation mix is overwhelmingly gas-fired, supplemented by imports through the Italy interconnector. The 17.2% renewable share that Malta reached in 2024 covers all energy uses (heating, cooling, transport, electricity); the renewable-electricity-only share is even lower at 16.6% (Q3 2025) — bottom of the EU table. Muscat's framing is documentary fact. True.
Is Malta really heavily dependent on fossil fuels for electricity
Muscat's claim is testable directly against Eurostat's electricity-by-source data. Malta's fossil-fuel share in electricity production is the highest in the EU. That's not a rhetorical framing — it's an EU-comparable statistic that places Malta at the bottom of every renewables-mix league table.
Malta vs the EU on fossil-fuel electricity share
What Malta's generation stack actually looks like
Maltese domestic electricity production runs through a narrow capacity stack heavily concentrated on gas-CCGT generation:
| Source | Installed capacity | Actual 2024 generation share | Fuel type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ElectroGas CCGT | 215 MW | ~29% of supply | Natural gas |
| Delimara 4 CCGT | 215 MW | ~29% of supply | Natural gas |
| Marsa standby | ~150 MW | <1% (emergency) | Gas / diesel |
| Malta-Sicily interconnector | 200 MW | ~25% of supply | Italian grid mix (mostly gas) |
| Solar PV | 250 MW (267 MWp DC) | ~17% of supply | Renewable |
Two CCGT plants + the interconnector account for roughly 83% of Maltese electricity supply. Solar covers ~17%, and the interconnector imports — while not domestic fossil generation — flow from an Italian grid where gas is still the dominant fuel. The 'heavily dependent on fossil fuels' description fits both the domestic generation mix and the import composition.
Why the renewable share is so low
Three structural constraints explain Malta's bottom-of-EU position on renewable electricity:
- No hydropower potential. Malta has no rivers and no significant elevation differential. Hydropower — which dominates the renewable mix in Sweden, Austria and Norway — is not available.
- Limited land for utility-scale solar / wind. Malta is 316 km² with population density ~1,800/km² (one of the highest in the EU). Land for utility-scale ground-mounted solar or onshore wind is scarce.
- Sea depth limits fixed-foundation offshore wind. Maltese territorial waters reach 80m+ depths quickly, ruling out conventional fixed offshore wind. Floating wind (the technology for the 280-320MW EEZ project) only became commercially viable in the last few years.
These constraints explain part of the gap to EU peers — but not all. Malta has been slow even relative to other small / land-constrained EU member states (e.g. Belgium, Netherlands) on rooftop solar deployment, electric-vehicle uptake, and storage. The constraints are real; the policy response has been below pace.
What's changing
Three projects in the pipeline change the medium-term picture, though none yet operational at scale:
- IC2 / IC3 interconnectors. IC2 (225MW) commissioning 2026 → full operation Q1 2027. IC3 (200-400MW) announced May 2026. Both pull from the Italian grid which is itself decarbonising — so import composition will shift over time.
- Offshore wind 280-320MW. PQQ closed July 2025 with 3 consortia. Commissioning likely late-2020s.
- Battery storage. Domestic battery scheme has supported ~4,000 household installations (#186); utility-scale storage in planning.
Even with all of these landing on schedule, Malta won't be off fossil-fuel-heavy generation before the early 2030s. Muscat's framing of the current position is correct.
So is the claim accurate?
Yes. Malta's 85% fossil-fuel electricity share is the EU's highest by a clear margin, the renewable-electricity share (16.6% in Q3 2025) is the EU's lowest, and the structural reasons (no hydropower, limited land, deep seas) explain part but not all of the gap. Muscat's framing is documentary fact backed by Eurostat data.
Verdict: True.