Melita TransGas Pipeline (‘MTGP’) is a 159km long pipeline project, from Delimara (Malta) to Gela (Italy), that will end Malta’s gas isolation by connecting the island to the trans-European Gas Network and so, allowing the transportation of gas, renewable gases, and hydrogen, from the Italian gas network necessary to meet Malta’s gas demand for power generation and future inland market. The project will enable the gasification of the country and tapping into hydrogen when this will be available in the European transmission network.
For this reason, the Project’s design and financial engineering studies are currently being updated to reflect a hydrogen ready pipeline, making it capable of transporting blends of renewable gases/natural gas and pure hydrogen to the Maltese islands. These studies, which will be completed by Q2 2023. In this manner, the Project of Common Interest will become fully aligned to the EU Green Deal objectives and the transition to a carbon neutral economy as the pipeline will provide an opportunity to import renewable gases including green Hydrogen once the market develops. This option may contribute to the future attainment of the country’s decarbonisation goals in line with the zero GHG emissions decarbonisation targets of the European Green Deal.
Once implemented, MTGP will replace the need of the current LNG supply infrastructure (i.e. Floating Storage Unit and on-shore regasification facility) introduced in January 2017 as an intermediate solution for the sole purpose of fuelling the gas-fired power generation plant in Delimara.
MTGP is designed with a 22” diameter pipeline that enables a technical bidirectional design capacity of 2 Bcm/year. Notwithstanding the design catering for bi-directionality, MTGP will initially be utilized in the direction Italy to Malta with a maximum operational capacity of 1.2 Bcm/year.
EU Co-Financing
All the studies conducted since 2013, including the feasibility/basic design studies, front-end engineering design, permitting studies and financial engineering studies amounted to 8.3 M€. All these studies were 50% con-financed by the European Union under the TEN-E and CEF programmes. The total amount disbursed by Commission as at end of December 2022 was of €1.95 million.
Project Promoter
Interconnect Malta Ltd (ICM) is the project promoter of MTGP (PCI 5.19).
ICM a 100% government owned company that falls under the responsibility of the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise. The company was originally established as Melita TransGas Co Ltd in 2018 and changed its name to Interconnect Malta Ltd on the 4th of August 2021.
The design of the Melita Transgas pipeline is currently being updated to allow the transportation of up to 100% Hydrogen.
the main elements of the
PipEline INFrastructure
Terminal station sited within the Delimara Power Station (Malta) confines in order to receive gas from Sicily and forward it to the power generation plant and any other possible interested consumers in Malta;
A 0.7 km concrete coated 22 inch underground pipeline crossing the Delimara peninsula through a microtunnel trenchless method from the Malta landfall to the Delimara Terminal Station (Top Picture);
A 7.1 km long 22 inch diameter underground pipeline from the shore line in Sicily, adopting a trenchless HDD method at the landing point south east of the Greenstream pipeline, to the terminal station in Gela;
Three Block Valve Stations along the onshore route in Gela, Sicily in line with Article 2.5.2 of Decreto Ministerale 04 April 2014 in view that the pipeline shall cross two railway lines and three roads;
Terminal station in Gela (Bottom Picture) which connects the hydrogen ready pipeline to the SNAM Rete Gas Network in Sicily.
Connecting Malta to the European Gas Grid
Giving our island the possibility to import Renewable Gases such as Hydrogen and Biomethane.
2017 October-November:
Publication of three tenders necessary for the next phase of the project:
- Advisory services for permitting procedures, preliminary marine route survey and front end engineering design.
- Services related to promotion and publicity
- Financial engineering of the Project
The project was awarded with a CEF grant of 3.68 million Euros for the studies related to the last development phase of MTGP: Financial Engineering, Preliminary Marine Route Surveys, Front-End-Engineering-Design, Environmental Impact Assessment in Italy and Malta.
2018 March-May:
Pursuant to Art 9(4) of the TEN-E Regulation and as part of the pre-application procedure, the 1st round of Public Consultations were held in Gela, Palermo, Rome and Malta and the positive outcomes have been an important input for the ongoing permitting activities.
2018 April-May:
A non-binding Market Testing was conducted which enabled the financial and economic modelling and the Investment Request to be prepared.
2018 August:
Melita TransGas Company Limited (MTG Co.) was established as a public undertaking to succeed to the obligations of the “Ministry for the Energy & Water Management” as the previous Project Promoter of PCI 5.19. MTG Co. will take the functions of the Project Promoter to implement, construct, commission and operate the MTG Pipeline, acting as the Maltese Transmission System Operator.
2018 November:
Commencement of the CEF co-funded activities related to the Marine Surveys, Front-End-Engineering-Design and Environmental Impact Assessment following public calls for tenders:
- Marine survey of the offshore route and nearshore Gela & Malta – Contractor: Lighthouse SpA
- Front-end Engineering Design studies (FFED) & EPC tender preparation – Contractor: Techfem/SPS JV
- Permitting/EIA Studies – Contractor: (AIS, CESI & VDP) MT-IT JV
Following surveys from PMRS and FEED, the route was further optimised taking into consideration all the constraints encountered, namely, physical, environmental, social, bathymetrical, and legislative.
2019 November:
Investment Request/CBCA proposal was submitted to the Maltese and Italian National Regulatory Authorities.
2019 June:
CBCA Decision issued by National Regulatory Authorities
2019 October:
Preliminary Marine Route Survey completed and PSA issued. During the campaign, 4 different types of data was collected (MBES, SBP, Magnetometer, SSS) for the whole 159km route. Moreover, 2,000km transects of ROV where filmed.
2019:
Completed Environmental studies forming part of the EIA underway, namely, Metocean Study, Noise Assessment, Ecological Surveys, Site soil Investigations.
Front-End Engineering design completed and the Environmental Impact Assessment submitted to the Maltese Competent Authority
2020 March-April:
Following submission of EIA, ERA opened a public consultation process for members of the public to give their feedback on the proposed application.
2020 May:
Kick-off the ESPOO consultation period of 60 days of the Maltese EIA in Italy.
2020 June:
Submission of Italian EIA to MATTM.
2020 June - August:
Carried out Public Consultation on Reference Price Methodology.
2021 January:
Submission of Autorizzazione Unica (AU) to the Ministero della transizione ecologica (MITE) and start of the statutory procedure in Italy.
2021 June:
Submission of all the screening requirements to the Planning Authority and start of the statutory procedure in Malta.
2021 July:
The ERA commenced the ESPOO consultation period of 45 days for the Maltese public pertaining to the Italian EIA.
ERA Board unanimously approved the EIA presented by the project promoter for the construction of the Malta-Italy pipeline.
2021 October:
The Planning Authority's Board unanimously decided in favour of the proposal and approved the Full Development Permit of the Maltese side for the construction of the Malta to Italy pipeline.
2022 January:
Updating of the design and financial engineering studies to upgrade the PCI to a hydrogen ready pipeline.
2022 May:
The EIA assessment in Italy was completed with a positive outcome by the Ministry of Ecological Transition (MiTE) of Italy.
2022 November:
The Minstero dell'Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica of Italy concluded the procedure for the Autorizzazione Unica with a positive outcome.
2026:
Planned Construction Start
2028:
Planned Commissioning
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