Gozo Business Chamber CEO underlines need for ‘bold decisions’ after power cuts

Gozo Business Chamber CEO Daniel Borg underlined the need for bold decisions to be taken, in comments following the power cuts on Malta's sister island last weekend.

Over the weekend power outages left Gozo in the dark, with some areas being left without power for 24 hours.

Asked whether the Chamber will bring up the power cuts with the Government and what it intends to say, Mr Borg stressed the need for adequate budgets to implement any Government initiatives. But more than that, he highlighted the need to think of the long-term, both in terms of the impact of climate change and the intensification of development that is “putting significant pressure on the present infrastructure.”

“This leads us to the fact that we need to rethink the economic model which has been projected in Gozo for the past years, based more than anything on construction and tourism, and ask ourselves: What do we need to achieve in Gozo? These reflections also need to be made by the business community. We are part and parcel of what is happening. We are at a point of no return in many respects, and this calls for bold decisions.”

As a community, he said that Gozo needs to have a say in the decisions made about the island, “conscious of the fact that it cannot stay put. There is collective responsibility on the situation that has been created and collective responsibility in the way we are going to face it, coupled with the actions that need to be taken.”

Reacting to the power cuts themselves, Mr Borg, who was representing the Gozo Business Chamber’s position, acknowledged the effort made by Enemalta employees to restore electricity as well as the logistical difficulties there were, but added that “one cannot in any way put aside the significant difficulties caused by the prolonged power outage on businesses and the community in general.”

He said that this episode showed, once again, the need to further strengthen the resilience of the power supply in Gozo. 

He said that the Chamber is aware of the Government’s plans to install a 132 KV cable between the two islands and other planned investments, but added that the need to bring specialised technicians from Malta, together with the power generators, showed that Gozo is not resilient enough when faced with such situations. 

“It has also shown that our preparations in front of the challenges that we are confronting need to be upscaled.” 

Mr Borg said that the pressure on the system is caused by increased economic activity, which has led to a significant population increase “which in Gozo may fluctuate considerably especially during weekends due to the considerable number of second homes.” He said that this needs to be taken into consideration.

“This apart from the increased tourism activity, and the impact of climate change.”

He stressed that climate change is an important factor which shows the need to further enhance resilience.

“As a group of islands in the Mediterranean we are going to be signficantly affected by the changes caused by climate change, and if we are not resilient enough we will not be able to face these challenges. Gozo in this case is much more vulnerable given its dependence on Malta, even when it comes to energy generation. In this scenario we are not taking full advantage of the generation of renewable energy, which is very high in Gozo.”

He said the power cuts had a negative impact on businesses and highlighted that it is a particularly busy period for the tourism sector.

Regarding payment for damages, he noted the standard procedure by Enemalta which can be applied, but added that when it comes to lost business and the impact on the reputation of the destination, “this is not easily quantifiable, though the impact will be felt.”

“In this case it is important that the compensation mechanisms that the Government had made available in July, for the power cuts experienced in Malta, are also made available to Gozitan businesses and households.”

In addition, he said that the Gozo Business Chamber is prepared to work with the Government and stakeholders to make both Gozo and Malta more resilient to situations such as the one witnessed over the weekend.

Gozo Tourism Association says tourists submitted compensation requests

Another Gozo-based organisation, the Gozo Tourism Association, (GTA) expressed its deep concern regarding the electricity outages.

“Beyond the immediate operational challenges, the incident generated considerable negative publicity for Gozo at a time when the island is striving to strengthen its reputation as a reliable, high‑quality destination. Tourists have already submitted compensation requests, while others have voiced dissatisfaction on social media platforms, further amplifying reputational damage,” it said.

It called for a thorough assessment of this incident, including the causes of the outage, the response mechanisms activated, and the resilience of Gozo’s electricity infrastructure. “Ensuring stability and reliability of essential services is fundamental to safeguarding the island’s tourism product and maintaining visitor confidence.”

While thanking Enemalta workers for their efforts during the outage, the GTA urged the relevant authorities to ensure that corrective measures are implemented swiftly and that contingency planning is strengthened to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Featured image: Daniel Borg/LinkedIn