Artistic installation marks pivotal year for Enemalta plc

20.04.2017

“The MMXVII memorial at Marsa is the beginning of the regeneration of an area previously dominated by the operations of the Marsa Power Station, whilst marking a pivotal year in Enemalta’s road to long-term financial and environmental sustainability.”

Ing. Fredrick Azzopardi, Enemalta plc Executive Chairman, explained the Company’s recent achievements during the inauguration of the MMXVII memorial at Marsa on Thursday evening. The memorial, Malta’s largest permanent public art, was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Malta Hon. Joseph Muscat.

“Four years ago,” Ing. Azzopardi said, “international rating agencies were warning that Enemalta was putting Malta’s economy at risk. With the support and commitment of our employees, we have embarked on an effort to improve the efficiency and quality of all our operations and services, to do more, with much less. A few weeks ago, Standard and Poor’s confirmed Enemalta’s turnaround, from a situation of losses and rising debts year after year, to a sustainable, stable and profitable position with an improved service to its customers.”

This achievement, he concluded, means that Enemalta now has more resources to invest in a better quality service for its customers. “Through a major investment in the reinforcement of the national electricity grid, in the last four years we reduced supply disruptions to our customers by 61%. At the same time, we also improved our service levels. Average waiting time for the provision of new services exceeded 30 days four years ago. Today, we are providing new services to customers in less than 11 days, an improvement of 62%.”

The MMXVII memorial is situated on part of the Marsa Power Station site on Jesuits Hill, overlooking the Grand Harbour and next to the new Marsa North Electricity Distribution Centre. It commemorates the workers who built, operated and maintained the Marsa Power Station’s boilers and turbines since 1953. It also symbolises the development of Malta’s energy sector, with 2017 being a pivotal year for Enemalta as it ends the use of heavy fuel oil in electricity generation, replacing it with a new diversified energy mix based on cleaner gas-fired sources, the Malta-Italy Interconnector and renewable energy sources.

As part of this transformation, a few weeks ago Enemalta plc disconnected the Marsa Power Station from the national electricity grid, to continue dismantling it and pave the way for the regeneration of this Grand Harbour area at Marsa.

The three-storey high installation was designed by students of the Institute for the Creative Arts of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) using different metal components dismantled from the Marsa Power Station, along with other materials. The structure was assembled on site by employees of Enemalta plc and its subsidiary International Energy Services Centre, with the support of a number of other companies.

Enemalta invited its customers, particularly the residents of Marsa and its employees to the inauguration of this memorial. The event included audiovisual productions featuring different stages of the installation’s production, as well as the Marsa North Distribution Centre, which was built by Enemalta next to the memorial to replace a major electricity distribution node previously located within the Marsa Power Station site. Performing arts students of the Institute for the Creative Arts then ‘unveiled’ the installation through a dance performance accompanied by a light show. The Institute’s photography students exhibiting works inspired the Marsa Power Station whilst media students filmed and live streamed the event.

In 2016, Enemalta invited the MCAST Institute for the Creative Arts fine arts and 3D students to visit the Marsa Power Station and create an artistic installation using different components dismantled from its boilers and turbines.

The students presented several designs to a selection board composed of Enemalta employees, including power station workers, a renowned metal art designer and sculptor and the Mayor of Marsa. A team of students, lecturers and Enemalta employees elaborated the selected design and prepared the different components forming the final installation. A few weeks ago, the Company’s employees started assembling the installation on site.