SME Chamber

Gas Distribution: Now is the time to decide

Gas distribution has in the last seven months been in the public limelight. Now more then ever it is time for decisions to be taken. In 2008, Government issued Legal Notice 249 of 2008 which did not include the existing distributors who were supplying gas to the market, both in Malta and Gozo. This meant that overnight someone either craftily enough or through a desired ‘lapsus' ironed them out completely.

 

When Legal Notice 249 of 2008 was published Liquigas were issued with the first authorisation emanating from such a legal notice. The second authorisation was issued to Easy Gas over a year later. All this was done when Government was fully aware that each distributor had a licence to operate within an accredited area.

Now the past is in the past and the distributors, through hours of long work and dedication together with the GRTU have worked to establish a distribution system acceptable to one and all and where the consumer reigns supreme.

Amendments to the current Legal Notice 249 of 2008 are now about to be issued for public consultation, and beyond the consultation period the right decisions will be taken. Of course we stand to beleive that the Amendments to the Legal Notice 249 of 2008 will be issued by not later then coming Tuesday 28th June 2011. Further delays are not acceptable and this would only mean that someone at ministerial level has decided to stop such amendments from being published. This would not only be detrimental to the gas distributors but also to the current players in the market both, Liquigas and Easy Gas.

The distributors under the guidance of GRTU have stood their ground and have cooperated to the limit to make sure that no stone is left unturned to make sure that eventually the end consumer will have a service, operating with much more efficiency then it is today and with standards as deemed fit in 2011. If anyone at any level has other ideas, then they need to be aware from now that they have on their hands a battle of swords. It would not be to our liking and we would of course stand up to be counted.

History has a way of repeating itself. Let us move on and make sure that whoever has to decide, be it The Prime Minister or Cabinet, does so, with respect to these distributors and also to the stakeholders currently operating in the market, and none less to the consumer.

Tuesday 28th June remains a deadline!

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