Valletta's Power Struggle: Malta's Capital in the Dark

Valletta suffered a power outage amid ongoing electricity cuts across Malta, leading to an apology from the prime minister. Extreme temperatures and high demand are blamed for network faults. Businesses and government offices were affected, and the heatwave aggravated the situation, prompting calls for compensation.

Malta's capital, Valletta, found itself without power on Wednesday, following a surge of electricity cuts that prompted the prime minister's public apology. The outages, affecting government and business sectors, were blamed on faults triggered by extreme heat conditions.

With temperatures peaking at a record 43.3 degrees Celsius, the situation underscores the mounting challenges posed by climate change. Enemalta, the state energy provider, cited unprecedented demand as a contributing factor in the power distribution failures.

The heatwave did not spare critical infrastructure, interrupting high-profile events such as the trial linked to the 2017 car bomb murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Calls for compensation have emerged from the political opposition in response to the disruptions suffered by families and businesses.