VALLETTA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Malta will reach its pledged EU2020 renewable energy targets, its Energy Minister Joe Mizzi has told the Maltese Parliament.
Malta is interested in cleaner energy and investing in a gas pipeline from Italy amongst related measures recently taken.
Mizzi said on Friday that Malta faced challenges when it came to water and electricity resources because of its high population density, but aimed to have 10 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources by 2020. This will involve solar energy, biomass, biofuel, and energy generated through waste, among others, he said.
The announcement came as a European Commission progress report found that Malta had failed to reach its emission reduction target every year since 2013. The nation would need to buy emission reduction credits from other countries that had exceeded their targets.
The closure and dismantling of heavy fuel oil powerplants was one of the main developments that would help the government reach its target, as would new solar farms, Mizzi said.