Following the publication of Malta’s National Policy for the Deployment of Offshore Renewable Energy in August 2023, the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and the Regeneration of the Grand Harbour has issued a Preliminary Market Consultation (“PMC”) to evaluate the potential for offshore photovoltaic projects.

Malta’s high solar irradiation capacity renders the Maltese Islands ideal for solar installations and almost all of the country’s renewable electricity generation is presently sourced from small scale and medium scale onshore solar photovoltaics. Although offshore floating solar farm technology is still in its infancy, spatial limitations on land have rendered deployment of offshore renewable energy projects the main solution to accelerated renewable energy generation with a view to attaining carbon neutrality by 2050.

The PMC is aimed at assessing potential investor interest in the development of offshore floating solar photovoltaics within the territorial sea of the Maltese Islands extending up to the 12 nautical mile limit off the coast of Malta. Subject to further technical and environmental studies, an initial site of approximately 4 nautical miles off the southern coast of Malta has been identified as a potentially suitable location for offshore solar farm development. Floating solar farms in the identified site will have an estimated generation capacity of 50MW and will be able to connect to Malta’s national electricity grid directly at Delimara.

By virtue of the PMC, the Energy Ministry has invited economic operators to submit information based on the identified potential location, including any other location within Malta’s territorial sea that may be considered feasible for such projects. In addition, the PMC has identified the following considerations for the development of floating solar technology, including:

• Optimal land utilisation due to spatial limitation
• Enhanced energy generation due to the reflective nature of water
• Environmental compatibility with ecosystems and habitats
• Reduced transmission losses through the potential of nearshore deployment
• Adaptability of water depth due to the possibility of versatile deployment in varying water depths
• Energy security and diversification as a result of reducing dependence on imported sources of electricity; and
• Technological innovation that may lead to the development of other technological innovations and environmentally friendly energy solutions.

Interested companies can Register as suppliers through the ePPs platform at the following link and once registered, the interested entity will continue to receive any information on updates and clarifications that may be made during the PMC publication period. All responses to this PMC need to be made in English and must be uploaded through the ePPs platform by no later than 24 April 2024 at 11.00 GMT.

For updates on this space and other potential offshore energy projects that are being considered, you may reach out to Dr. Peter Grima on peter.grima@fenechlaw.com