The Maltese government signed Tuesday a crucial electricity agreement with a Norwegian company that will link the tiny Mediterranean island-nation to the European power grid in Sicily by 2013, dpa reported. Nexans Norway will be laying a 95-kilometre underwater electrical interconnector linking Malta to Sicily in a contract said to be worth some 178 million euros (237 million dollars). The interconnector is expected to deliver up to 225 megawatts of electricity, and is seen as vital for Malta to keep up with the demand for electricity as an old power station is phased out. "This project will provide Malta with an economically viable source of energy as well as giving us peace of mind," Finance Minister Fenech told reporters at the signing ceremony. Since 1980, demand for electricity has almost quadrupled in European Union's smallest member state. The provision of electricity through the underwater cable will also significantly reduce emissions on the island.
