Malta marches on

Despite its size and despite its relatively late interest in the wind energy market, when it comes to bringing wind farms online, Malta isn’t dragging its feet.

At the beginning of last week, the Maltese government confirmed that a location for an offshore wind farm had been proved viable and an official call for expressions of interest will be issued later in the year. If everything goes to plan, the government should have the site fully operational by 2016 – four years ahead of the stipulated European-wide 10% renewable energy target.

And all in all, it is impressive stuff. For Malta – where tourism remains the dominant industry sector and the ability to safeguard the areas natural beauty remain paramount – streamlining the planning application process has been critical. A case study for other Mediterranean territories to watch closely, perhaps?