PN links delayed power cut compensation to Malta's public finance

The Nationalist Party (PN) said on Tuesday that the government's failure to pay compensation promised to families and businesses hit by summer power cuts is linked to Malta's troubled public finances. The power cuts occurred in July. The government promised compensation at the time, but the PN said that promise has not been fulfilled.

The party questioned whether the prime minister now considers the compensation "an additional expense he would rather avoid." The PN's claim comes amid growing concern about Malta's public finances since the May general election. The UĦM (Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin), a trade union federation, said the government's approach to collective agreements changed overnight after the election: terms that had been generous before polling day were later refused on the grounds that the country's finances could not sustain them.

William Spiteri Bailey, president of the Malta Chamber, added that the government's public statements differed from what it told social partners in private. Behind closed doors, he said, the government warned that expenditure needed to be reined in. The PN argued that compensation for power cuts is a right, not a favour.

It called for compensation to be automatic and calculated using clear, transparent criteria. The party noted that the government and Enemalta, the state energy company, already hold data on power outages that could form the basis for a baseline payment. For additional losses – such as damage to appliances or spoiled stock – the PN proposed a separate, simple claims mechanism.

"Having failed to guarantee a reliable electricity supply, the government is now also failing to deliver on its promise of compensation," the PN said. "The PN therefore insists that the government must stop dragging its feet and ensure that families and businesses receive full and fair compensation without any further delay." The government has not publicly confirmed that the delay is connected to fiscal pressures.

The link is the PN's interpretation. No response from the government or Enemalta was included in the party's statement.