This site has received complaints by major shops on Naxxar Road, San Gwann which are suffering from power outages on a daily basis. These are not planned power cuts about which the shop owners are being informed.
Each time, the shop owners or employees have to call Enemalta to inform them. Unless Enemalta is informed and a report is filed, whatever is causing the outage is not fixed. The bureaucratic and red tape of the system is so citizen-friendly. Needless to say, sometimes calls take long to be answered.
Shop owners informed this site that at times it is taking three or more hours for them to have the electricity supply back. They also pointed at the fact that the outage always happens around the same time in the afternoon.
Among the shops that are suffering from this power outage is one which sells frozen food. The shop owner ended up making use of a small personal generator, but which cannot provide for five big chest freezers. In addition, unless clients happened to have cash, purchases cannot be made. The shop owner informed this site that on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, when the shop is closed, visits are made so to check on the electricity supply. If it happens that she finds out that there is no electricity, she has to throw away all the stock. She added it is useless to make use of the generator because she would not know at what time did the electricity supply go off. She added that this is causing her more stress because at weekends she is not resting and enjoying some free time after a long week of work.
So, shops are losing business, clients, and some have to throw away any frozen items they sell.
I have been personally to these shops which I won’t mention. I could see the frustration and worry in the shop owners’ faces.