Construction of the Malta-Italy Gas Pipeline European Union Project of Common Interest 5.19 Delimara Malta – Gela Sicily, Italy

In line with the conclusions of the European Council of the 4 February 2011, where the Council noted that “No EU Member State should remain isolated from the European gas and Electricity networks after 2015 or see its energy security jeopardized by lack of the appropriate connections”; the October 2014 European Council Conclusions where Malta is specifically mentioned as requiring special attention in the context of PCI implementation; the March 2015 European Council conclusions where the Council called for the acceleration of infrastructure projects, ‘including interconnections in particular to peripheral regions’ and the Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Policy’ which calls for the end of energy islands from the main electricity and gas networks, the Government of Malta intends to implement a gas connection to the trans-European Natural Gas Network to end Malta’s isolation.

The proposed Malta – Italy Gas pipeline interconnection, with a supply capacity of 232,000Sm³/hr, is a 22 inch diameter submarine pipeline 159km long capable of operating in a bi-directional mode and recommended to be installed between Gela, Sicily, and Delimara, Malta.  The length of the onshore route between the terminal station and the shore line in Sicily is 7.1km, whereas a 0.7km pipeline shall cross the Delimara peninsula through a trenchless method from the Malta landfall to the Delimara Terminal Station.

The project will connect Malta to the European gas network and contribute to the integration of the Internal Energy Market; moreover the project shall:

• Replace the importation of LNG for the production of electricity;​
  
• Contribute to the system’s overall flexibility and interoperability in that it will offer the possibility of capacity for reverse flows in the future.
  
• Complement the Energy Union’s strategy towards the diversification of sources, routes and suppliers of natural gas.
  
• Guarantee greater security of energy supply to the island;
  
• Give Malta easier access to the natural gas resources and market integration;
  
• Support objectives of sustainability as it will contribute towards the reduction of GHG emissions by delivering natural gas more efficiently,
  
• Eliminate the need for liquefaction, shipping and re-gasification, as the case with LNG
  

The project therefore consists of:

A fenced 4,390m² terminal station in Gela which connects the gas pipeline project to the SNAM Rete Gas Network in Sicily.

Three 210m² fenced Block Valve Stations along the onshore route in Gela in view that the pipeline shall cross two railway lines and three roads.

A 22” buried pipeline between the Gela terminal station and the Sicilian shoreline

A 151km long 22” concrete coated undersea gas pipeline between the landfall in Gela (Sicily) to the landfall at Delimara (Malta).

A 22” underground pipeline between the Malta landfall and the Terminal Station at Delimara.

A fenced 3,640m² terminal station sited within Delimara Power Station in order to receive gas from Sicily and forward it to the power generation plant.

The onshore route in Malta is an underground tunnel expected to be implemented using the Horizontal Direction Drilling (HDD) method from the terminal station within Delimara Power Station area to the landfall on the other side of Delimara peninsula. The route is approximately 1000m long of which 700m is onshore. As the ground is at a higher level than the predicted pipeline path, the existing ground and topsoil will not be disturbed thus avoiding the crossings of roads, pathways, fields etc.

Offshore Route Selection

The proposed offshore 1.2km wide pipeline route corridor has been delineated avoiding or minimising seabed features and potential geohazards. Furthermore, it also avoids crossing the Greenstream pipelines, and restricted anchoring areas on the Sicilian side as well as aquaculture and bunkering areas on the Maltese side. The proposed route also takes into account the constraint to have stable bending radii and straight line shore approaches. Moreover, the route has been selected considering the following:

• Avoiding and minimising human activity risk, environmental impacts and environmentally sensitive areas;
  
• Minimising risks related to on bottom obstructions, seabed features and geohazards;
  
• Considering (cable) crossing constraints and requirements from third parties and authorities.​
  
  

Other Interesting Facts

Of the 151km offshore route, 63km lies within Italian territorial waters and another 28km lie in the waters between the Italian territorial limit and the median line between Italy and Malta.

The maximum depth reached by the pipeline is 158m below sea level.

The pipeline shall be buried from the shoreline up to approximately 30m depth while it shall be laid on the bottom at greater depths.

Funding

The preparatory studies including the environmental (EIA) and technical studies required as part of the permitting procedure for the construction  of the Malta-Italy Gas Pipeline - Project of Common Interest 5.19 are being co-funded by the European Union under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme for 2014-2020.