Malta Energy and Environment Facts

Natural resources and energy

Malta has no important natural resources such as forests, minerals or hydropower. The limestone that is being mined for use in house construction is running out. Energy needs are covered by imported oil and coal. There is a lack of water on the islands and the problem has been exacerbated by the growing tourism.

There are ongoing attempts to find oil and natural gas in the sea off Malta. In recent years, Malta has begun to invest in producing renewable energy, primarily wind power and solar energy.

  • COUNTRYAAH: Major exports by Malta with a full list of the top products exported by the country. Includes trade value in U.S. dollars and the percentage for each product category.

Under an EU agreement, the country will extract ten percent of its total energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020, and the Maltese authorities plan to exceed that target. Malta was long dependent on two domestic electric power stations, which led to overload and repeated power outages. In the spring of 2015, however, an underwater cable was opened which connects Malta with the Italian electricity grid.

Tourism has caused severe damage to nature. Most of the sand bays have been built and the original vegetation has disappeared. As part of EU adaptation, during the 1990s Malta placed great emphasis on improving environmental legislation. Environmental impacts are now taken into account in all major projects. Today, the large quantities of waste that previously posed a problem are handled in a more environmentally friendly way. In order to deal with the soil destruction, forests are replanted in the islands of Malta and Gozo.

There is a lack of water in Malta, which lacks both lakes and rivers. The problem has been exacerbated by the fact that over a million tourists visit the country every year, which is also very densely populated. Seawater desalination plants ensure that all residents receive drinking water.

  • Abbreviationfinder: A popular acronym site in the world covering abbreviation for each country. For example, MT stands for Malta. Visit itypeusa for more information about Malta.

FACTS – ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

Energy use per person

1 811 kilograms of oil equivalent (2014)

Electricity consumption per person

5007 kWh, kWh (2014)

Carbon dioxide emissions in total

2 347 thousand tonnes (2014)

Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant

5.5 tonnes (2014)

The share of energy from renewable sources

5.4 percent (2015)

2013

November

Passport sales are planned

Decides to give people outside the EU the opportunity to buy citizenship in Malta for € 650,000 and thus get the right to live and work throughout the EU; Citizenship for family members can be purchased for an additional € 25,000-50,000. The political opposition protests against the decision and wants a referendum on the issue.

March

Government change after the election

The opposition wins through the Labor Party a clear victory in the parliamentary elections. The Labor Party gains its own majority with 38 of the 67 seats in Parliament. The ruling Nationalist Party loses almost one-sixth of its mandate and stays at 29. The turnout is high, just over 93 percent.

Malta Energy and Environment Facts

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