The first Malta-Sicily interconnector was a PN investment.
Documented historical fact. Malta-Sicily interconnector conceived 2008 under Lawrence Gonzi PN government; cable contract signed with Nexans Norway in December 2010 under PN; EU funding secured under PN. Construction completed under PL with operational launch March 2015. Lawrence Gonzi invited to the inauguration as recognition of PN-era origin. Total project cost: €182M; cable length: 95 km between Magħtab and Marina di Ragusa. Cross-administration project: PN conceived, contracted and financed; PL completed and operationalised.
Documented historical fact. Malta-Sicily interconnector conceived 2008 under Lawrence Gonzi PN government; cable contract signed with Nexans Norway in December 2010 under PN; EU funding secured under PN. Construction completed under PL with operational launch March 2015. Lawrence Gonzi invited to the inauguration as recognition of PN-era origin. Total project cost: €182M; cable length: 95 km between Magħtab and Marina di Ragusa. Cross-administration project: PN conceived, contracted and financed; PL completed and operationalised.
We tested Cutajar's claim against (1) Enemalta's project documentation for the Malta-Sicily interconnector, (2) European Commission TEN-E records on EU co-funding awards, (3) Nexans Norway's 2010 contract announcement, and (4) contemporaneous press archives from the December 2010 contract signing through to the March 2015 commissioning ceremony.
True. The Malta-Sicily interconnector is a clear case of cross-administration project delivery. Concept and planning happened under Lawrence Gonzi's PN government from 2008 onwards. The cable contract with Nexans Norway was signed in December 2010 under PN. EU TEN-E funding was secured under PN. Construction and operational launch (March 2015) happened under PL — but the project was substantively a PN investment in conception, contract and financing. Lawrence Gonzi was invited to the inauguration ceremony as recognition of the PN-era origin. Total project cost: €182M; cable length: 95 km between Magħtab and Marina di Ragusa. Limitations: 'PN investment' is qualitative — the financial-commitment, contract-signature and EU-funding-application milestones all sit under PN governance, but completion and commissioning are PL.
Was the first Malta-Sicily interconnector really a PN investment
The Malta-Sicily interconnector — Malta's first subsea electricity link to the European grid — is one of the most consequential infrastructure projects of recent Maltese history. Its political ownership has been contested: PN claims credit for conception and contract; PL has emphasised completion and commissioning.
What happened under PN (pre-2013)
- 2008 — Lawrence Gonzi's PN government announced the interconnector project as part of Malta's energy diversification strategy.
- 2008–2010 — Project planning, environmental impact assessment, EU funding application via the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR).
- December 2010 — Contract signed with Nexans Norway for cable manufacturing and laying. This was the binding commitment that made the project legally and financially deliverable.
- 2010–2013 — Manufacturing, route surveys, regulatory approvals on both Maltese and Italian sides.
What happened under PL (2013-2015)
- 2013–2014 — Cable manufacturing completed; subsea installation by the Nexans Skagerrak cable-laying vessel.
- December 2013–March 2014 — Subsea circuit laid between Magħtab and Marina di Ragusa.
- End 2014 — All equipment installation and cable jointing works completed.
- March 2015 — Interconnector became operational, with formal inauguration on 9 April 2015 by the prime ministers of both Malta (Joseph Muscat) and Italy.
Project specifications
- Cable length: 95 km between Magħtab in Malta and Marina di Ragusa in Sicily.
- Capacity: 200 MW (the cable damaged in the March 2022 anchor incident — see #188).
- Total cost: €182 million, partly EU-funded.
- Voltage: 220 kV HVAC.
On 'PN investment'
Cutajar's framing — that the first interconnector was a PN investment — is supported by the documented record on the most consequential phases of the project:
- Conception: PN.
- Planning and EU funding application: PN.
- Contract signing: PN (December 2010).
- Construction (largely): spanning PN→PL transition.
- Commissioning and operational launch: PL (March 2015).
Lawrence Gonzi's invitation to the April 2015 inauguration was a tacit acknowledgement by both sides of the PN-era origin. The Malta Independent reported on Gonzi attending; PL's framing at the time was that PL had 'completed' a PN project.
How both sides have used the project politically
Both administrations have at different times claimed credit for the interconnector:
- PN's framing: We conceived, planned and contracted the project. Without PN-era decisions, there would be no interconnector.
- PL's framing: We delivered the project, commissioned it, and operationalised it. Inheritance ≠ delivery.
Both claims have a basis in the project record. Cutajar's specific claim — that the first interconnector was a PN investment — focuses on conception, contract and financing, all of which are documented as PN-era.
So is the claim accurate?
Yes. The conception, contract, and EU financing were all under PN. PL completed and commissioned. The investment in the originating sense — who decided to do it and signed the deal — was PN. Verdict: True.