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Connecting Engineers

Publication of the Malta Chamber of Engineers November 2011 | Issue 39

Disaster at Cyprus p06

Interview with Andrew Camilleri p12

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Contents

Issue No.39 Bioautical l Aeron edical Agricultura autical Biom anical Mineral l Aeron l Mech Civil Nuclear Agricultura l Biomedica ical ity autica Computer Mineral anical Chem Software uter Nuclear ultural Aeron l Mech Civil Sustainabilical ical n Electr Photonics are Comp Mineral Agricautical Biomedica onics ity Desig ar Softw anical Chem echanical Aeron l Mech uter Nucle Sustainabil ical and Electr ms ms Biom Photonics ultural l Biomedica ical CivilDesign ElectrElectronics Systeical ral Agric onics Syste echanical Software Comp ar Mine l Aeronautica anical Chem ity echan and and ElectrSystems Biom Photonics uter Nucle l Mech Civil Sustainabil n Electrical Systems BiomPhotonics ultura Electrical ral Agric l Biomedica echanical are Comp Desig Electronics ical Design echanical Software Electronics l Chem autica inability ical and Systems Biom nics Softw Nuclear Mine inability l Aeron l Mechanica Civil Susta Electrical and Systems Biom Photonics Computer Photo Computer onics Civil 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Cover Image Space: The final frontier for engineering?

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From the Editor

From the President

John Pace

Disaster at Cyprus

Interview with Andrew Camilleri

THE EDITORIAL BOARD Chamber of Engineers, Professional Centre, Sliema Road, Gzira, GZR 1633, Malta

Recent Trends in Maltese Economy

Digestion Plant Produced Electicity from Waste

A New Year at the Faculty of Engineering

Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Malta Chamber Promotes Diploma Cources in Manufacturing Excelence

Editor

© Chamber of Engineers 2011. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Chamber of Engineers – Malta. Opinions expressed in Engineering Today are not necessarily those of the Chamber of Engineers – Malta. All care has been taken to ensure truth and accuracy, but the Editorial Board cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions in the articles, pictographs or illustrations.

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From the editor by Ing. John Pace

The National Environment Policy consultation document, which was published in September is a must read by all concerned citizens, and this includes all engineers, as most engineering activities impact the environment and it is the engineers who, by their efforts, make the greatest contribution to improving the environment. Gone are the days when consultation documents are large volumes which have to be purchased at high expense so that only corporate users purchase them. The internet provides free and easy access to everyone, and I suspect that the majority of readers read them off their laptop or computer monitor. Yet the writers make great efforts to make the printed document attractive to the eye. The present document also proudly claims that it is printed on chlorine free sustainable forest paper. It was a surprise that the document was drawn up by the Office of the Prime Minister, as we are used to similar documents coming from ministries or regulatory bodies. This derives from the fact that the PM has taken responsibility for MEPA after severe criticism of its operation before the last election. It was the planning branch of MEPA which was the subject of the complaints, but since MEPA is also the environment regulator the Prime Minister is the Minister for the Environment. This augurs well and increases the probability that the policies proposed will actually be implemented. It is no secret that some consultation papers are forgotten the moment the consultation period closes, or even after formal adoption by the cabinet. The probable reason is that the ministries are careful not to tread on the territory of the finance minister, and so the necessary financial provisions are often not part of the document. In this case the

document comes from the very top, and the finance minister must presumably toe the line. The environment has different meaning to different people. Some people consider waste management to be the most important environmental policy, while to others it may be air quality or biodiversity. In this policy paper there is an emphasis on town planning which did not appear in previous similar documents, and shows the imprint of MEPA. There is nothing really spectacular in the policies announced. We are now used to European Union imposed standards and the main policies are designed with these standards in mind. The document makes repeated references to other policy documents on the various topics discussed and the measures to be taken are many times in the form of â&#x20AC;&#x153;implement the *** action planâ&#x20AC;? What is unusual is the expansion of the topics dealt with to include such subjects as greening the environment, green procurement, safeguarding the built cultural heritage and creating green jobs. The Prime Minister himself writes the introduction to the consultation document, which delivers the message that the environment is now at the top of governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agenda. The PM then delegates the matter to Dr Mario Demarco, who seems to be the person to whom we will turn on environmental

matters. In time we will see if Mario Demarco acquires the same stature as George Pullicino who most people identify with the environment. Mr Pullicino has taken some tough decision while he was Environment Minister and has made his stand clear in controversial matters. The present document, while proposing a number of beneficial measures, keeps clear of controversy. The word hunting does not appear in the document, nor does the taboo word waste incineration. Still controversies will no doubt appear and it will be seen how the government will tackle them. It is not my intention to enter into the details of the proposed measures, but one section of the document I liked is the section on Implementing and Achieving our Environmental Policy Objectives. All too often policy documents are forgotten, or only the negative aspects implemented. The present document lays out a strategy on implementing the policies, and once the framework is there it is expected that the various policies are transformed to actual practices. The consultation paper is a valuable document encompassing all aspects of the environment, and should be the programme of work for the government departments and the other stakeholders to follow. ET

Ing. John Pace

Editor, Engineering Today

November 2011

Issue No. 39

From the President by Ing. Saviour Baldacchino

Dear Colleagues... By now you should have realised that the Chamber’s flagship publication, Engineering Today, has taken a new look as of this issue. But not only that, our objectives are to improve both quality and punctuality and to be more eco-friendly; there will soon be a soft copy of Engineering Today available on the website. This publication is considered to be our traditional means of mass communication with members and stakeholders at various levels and spheres. There are other plans for the medium term to also communicate with the general public on a larger scale. But more on this will be announced later on. Having mentioned the website, the Chamber recently finalised arrangements to have the website updated regularly with events, news and other announcements. This should serve as another communication channel to disseminate the Chamber’s activities on a more regular basis. Recently, the Chamber signed a support agreement with Vodafone and is renegotiating another support agreement with Bank of Valletta aimed at adding more value to membership in the Chamber. Other organisations are interested to collaborate and assist the Chamber to grow and to continue to provide more benefits to members. During the month of June 2011, the Chamber set up three separate panels of judges to award the best final year project for students who completed their degree course in 2010. Three awards were presented to contestants coming from the electrical engineering , mechanical engineering and ICT streams. The latter was presented for the first time this year. I take this opportunity to congratulate participating students and thank the judges for their painstaking work to select the best of the best.

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Issue No. 39

Towards the end of July 2011, a joint social event was organised for the first time with the Malta Group of Professional Engineering Institutions and Kamra tal-Periti. The event was a success and the three organisations expressed their intention to continue to organise similar events, which are truly promoters of social networking. During the first week of September 2011, a delegation from the Chamber of Engineers, participated in the quadrennial World Engineers’ Convention 2011 titled “Engineers Power the World - Facing the Global Energy Challenge”. More than eighty five nations were represented for the event. Following this event, the Chamber delegation participated in the general assembly of the World Federation of Engineering Associations (WFEO) and that of the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI), which were held in the International Conference Centre, Geneva. During the first week of October 2011, the Chamber’s President took part in the welcome ceremony organised by the Deans of the Faculties of Engineering and ICT during Freshers’ week at the University of Malta. During a brief presentation, new students of both faculties were invited to join the Chamber and to participate in events jointly organised with students’ associations. Last year, over one hundred new students joined the Chamber during their first week at the University. This year the number of new student members who will be joining the Chamber will be even higher. Finally during the past few weeks the Chamber organised two technical visits at Wasteserv’s recycling plant at Sant Antnin and another visit to Gozo Channel ferries. Both visits were fully booked and fruitful both for students and engineers alike.

Retired Engineers were once again invited for a meeting at the Chamber’s offices, which was held during the third week of October 2011. During the session, various interesting topics were raised and participants were utterly generous sharing compelling ideas and words of wisdom related to the profession. They looked forward for the next meeting as much as we did. The Chamber will soon be announcing the 10th edition of the Malta Engineering Excellence Awards (MEEA), which will be presented during a ceremony on the 7th of December 2011. More details will be communicated closer to the date.

Finally, I would like to thank Council members, other members who offer their services to the Chamber and supporting staff for their dedication, support and enthusiasm in carrying out their duties, diligently throughout the whole year. This is just a small appreciation to their contribution to the Chamber, which I feel cannot be more appropriate then during this year, which has been designated by the EU as the European Year of Volunteering. ET

20th October 2011

Yours Sincerely,

Inġ Saviour M. Baldacchino President Chamber of Engineers

president@coe.org.mt http://www.coe.org.mt

Inġ. Saviour Baldacchino President, Chamber of Engineers

November 2011

Issue No. 39

Disaster at Cyprus

by Ing. John Pace

We Maltese frequently regard Cyprus as our sister country. We both have inherited British culture as former colonies, and both islands joined the European Union and the Eurozone on the same days. We even look up at Cyprus as, in spite of its particular problem as a divided country, its economy was doing well. But all this changed in an instant...

The scene of the explosion.

In the nineteen nineties when Delimara power station in Malta was built, Dhekelia power station in Cyprus was extended by installing two 60 megawatt steam turbo generators – identical to the two turbo generators installed at Delimara. But since then Cyprus has by far outstripped Malta in investment in the new generating plant. While Delimara was extended by a total of 194 megawatts of plant, Cyprus installed a whacking 750 megawatts including a new power station at Vassillikou. Besides, 220 megawatts of new plant was under construction, due to be in service by the end of 2011.

people died, including the Cypriot navy chief, while over 60 were injured. The explosion originated at a storage site on the naval base where 2000 tons of explosive were stored. This explosive had been seized from a ship which was carrying them illegally to Syria, where a UN ban existed on arms trafficking. It is thought that the cause was the decomposition of the chemicals causing overheating inside the containers. The fire brigade had been fighting the fire for an hour prior to the explosion when the whole 98 containers blew up. Six fire fighters were among the dead. The site of the containers was about two hundred meters from the Vassillikou power station boundary, and the explosion completely devastated the power station, which supplied over half of Cyprus’ electricity. A crater, 60 meters diameter and 15 meters deep was formed. All the houses in the neighbouring town were damaged. Vassillikou power station, first commissioned in the early 2000’s was a state of the art power station with three 130 Megawatt steam turbo generator units, one 220 megawatt combined cycle gas turbine and a 38 megawatt open cycle gas turbine. The steam plant burned heavy fuel oil and was equipped with electrostatic precipitators and flue gas desulphurisation, making it fully compliant with EU emission limits. The efficiency of the steam plant was the high 39% (compare Delimara power station steam plant with an efficiency of 32%).

Then disaster struck. At 6 a.m. on 11 July 2011 a massive explosion rocked Cyprus. It was located at the naval base of Evangelos Florakis on the south coast of the island and was heard 50 km away. Thirteen

November 2011

Issue No. 39

At the instant of the explosion a blast of hot air travelling at supersonic speed hit the power station. The roof of the turbine hall collapsed on the plant and damaged the plant and the pipework systems. The turbines

but the real cost of the incident is much more than the cost of reconstruction.

View of Turbine hall taken by UAV.

tripped promptly but, as the power station was designed to withstand earthquake damage, the turbine structure held, with damage to the bearings due to the loss of lubricating oil. The massive blast dislodged the boiler structure, but the steam system was not damaged and an orderly pressure down was possible. Operators at the control room, which fortunately did not collapse, were injured by window glass bursting into the room. The fuel tanks, filled with heavy fuel oil were distorted by the blast, but did not leak or catch fire. This was fortunate as fire would have greatly increased the damage. Considerable damage was done to the electrostatic precipitators, which are huge structures receiving the full blast, and much of the cabling and instrumentation were damaged by the blast and by collapsing debris. The explosion effectively ruined the power station and there was no question of a hasty repair. The power station cost around one billion Euros to construct, and it is expected that rebuilding it will cost a sum of the same order. Part of the cost will be covered by insurance,

Losing one half of its generating capacity, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus was compelled to carry out a regular programme of power cuts, which is expected to continue for a long time. All efforts were made to share the burden evenly between consumers, so that every household is expected to experience power cuts. The fact that the power station was the most efficient on the island means that electricity generation is now more expensive and this has resulted in higher electricity tariffs. As expected the economy of the island has been badly affected. Growth forecasts have been lowered to zero and the rating agencies have also lowered Cyprusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rating. Following the incident the government resigned and a new coalition has been formed with the aim of countering the damage to the economy caused by the loss of its electricity infrastructure.

Distorted fuel tank. After the incident stories of political intrigue surfaced. The seizure of the armaments ship was made after pressure from the US. Later both Germany and the UK offered to destroy the explosives, but Cyprus declined as this would

November 2011

Issue No. 39

Disaster at Cyprus (cont.)

offend Syria, the original destination of the Iran bound armaments. The admiral in charge of the naval base repeatedly urged the government to get rid of the dangerous explosives, which had been there for two years, but this had to wait for the political negotiations to take place. The same admiral lost his life in the explosion. The Cyprus government has sought help from the European Union in response to this disaster. The EU has a scheme known as the Community Mechanism for Civil Protection which facilitates interventions in the event of major emergencies needing urgent response action. A delegation from the EU was on site within a week to assess the damage, offer technical assistance, and advise on health and safety measures. The team, from several EU countries, included Ing Michael Falzon, a senior engineer at Enemalta who was

A view of the disaster.

November 2011

Issue No. 39

Destroyed Boilers.

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Disaster at Cyprus (cont.)

“The plant had been designed with excellent fire protection measures, however the magnitude of the explosion knocked out all the protective systems simultaneously, leading to uncontrolled shutdown of the working units with no backups for instrumentation, lubrication etc. “Such a magnitude of incident is rarely considered when designing plant and tends to emphasise the importance of redundancy and physical separation of key infrastructure.” ET Assessment team on site.

responsible for the setting up of the Enemalta fire section. The photos accompanying this article were supplied by Ing Falzon. “The most obvious lesson” says Michael, “was that it is not a good idea to store several hundred tons of explosive next to a key installation of the country’s infrastructure!

Ing. John Pace

Editor, Engineering Today

November 2011

Issue No. 39

How Cyprus compared with Malta in electricity supply in 2010 Malta

Cyprus

Area sq km

316

9250

Population

407 000

778 000

GDP per capita

€ 20 400

€ 24 000

Installed electricity generating plant Megawatts

571

1438

Electricity consumption Gigawatt-hour

2200

5133

Interview with Andrew Camilleri by Ing. John Pace

Andrew Camilleri had to give up his career as an engineer when he lost his eyesight at the age of 43.

With a young family and a paltry disability pension he suffered hardship, but he still had his intelligence and leadership qualities, and his achievements include mastering the computer, although he never saw one, being the leader of the blind community, and campaigning energetically for the education of blind children and for the reform of the electoral system which treated blind persons as second class citizens. Engineering Today interviewed Andrew at his home at Luqa. ET: Tell us about your career before you lost your eyesight. Andrew: I started in 1950 as a shift engineer at the Marina power station (now part of the sea passenger terminal at the Valletta waterfront). At that time it was the only power station in Malta, besides the Admiralty power station at Corradino which supplied the British services establishments. The plant consisted of four Brush Ljungstrom radial flow steam turbine generators, with a total capacity of 8.5 megawatts and Babcock fuel oil fired boilers. The electricity system in those days was single phase 100 Hz.

Brush Ljungstrom radial flow steam turbine generators.

In 1956 I was transferred to the new power station at Marsa (the underground station, now closed down). At this time the electricity system was being converted to 3 phase 50 Hz. The connection between the two systems was through four 1 megawatt frequency changers, which were motor generator sets originally used to interconnect the services power station at Corradino to the civil government system. The Marsa power station was an enormous advance on the primitive Marina power station, with remotely controlled switchgear and automatic control on the boilers. In 1963 I did a turn of duty as distribution engineer in Gozo. During my year there, the submarine cables supplying Gozo had their first fault and I was involved with its repair by a jointer who came over from England. Since then I was regarded as the expert on submarine cable repairs and was called upon whenever the cable broke down, which was quite often. On my return to Malta my first assignment was in the setting up of the Enemalta Development Section, which was responsible for the extension of the high voltage system and the installation

November 2011

Issue No. 39

of substations. Then I moved over to Area Engineer North, responsible for the operation and maintenance of the distribution system in the northern half of Malta. In post independence Malta the development of the electricity system was fast with a building boom and the growth of industry and hotel building. Electricity supply was extended to outlying areas so that all Malta was supplied with electricity.

ET: You are an avid reader and you use the computer extensively. How did this come about? Andrew: It started when the wife of an engineer friend of mine encouraged me to learn to touch type. Touch typists do not look at the keyboard, so being blind is no disadvantage. Then this engineer, the late Karmenu Farrugia, introduced me to the computer. This was in the early nineties, when Windows had not yet been a feature of computers.

After ten years in the position I had to give it up because of my eye problem. The first message was what appeared to be a fly in front of my eye, an indication of retinal detachment. The ophthalmologist immediately saw that my sight was precarious and I lost the sight of one eye. I asked to be transferred to the development section, where I would not be called to attend to faults at night, but it was not long before I had to give up my post. I went to England where I underwent a six hour operation to repair my retinal detachment, but it was not possible to save my sight. ET: How did your life change when you lost your sight? Andrew: I was 43 years old with four children and I had to survive on a disability pension. I spent a lot of time listening to a radio which my friends at Enemalta had donated, but then I met a friend who encouraged me to attend the Centre for the Blind at Santa Venera, where I learnt to use Braille. I used to read a lot in Braille and I started corresponding with other blind persons in other countries.

Ing. Andrew Camilleri & Ing. John Pace

Another blind person, Michael Micallef, had a primitive speech synthesiser, which converted text on a computer screen to sound. I corresponded in Braille and succeeded in finding a superior synthesiser, which I ordered and from there started my knowledge of the computer. Since then speech synthesiser software was developed (previously it was hardware) and the computer has become

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Issue No. 39

Interview with Andrew Camilleri (cont.)

Torball, a football game played by blind persons.

indispensible to blind persons. Braille is very little used nowadays and there are probably not more than five or six people who can read Braille in Malta. However, Braille still has its use in situations where carrying a computer is not possible. ET: You are acknowledged as a leader of the blind community in Malta... Andrew: I was for many years the president of the Torball Blind Association. Actually torball is a kind of football game played by blind persons in which the ball has a bell inside it and the blind persons can detect its location. We have played torball in Malta and also on a number of times in Italy. However the association is more an association for blind persons. I wrote the statute of the association, which is also the basis of the statute of the other blind persons group, the Ghaqda Maltija ghal Persuni Neqsin mid Dawl. Incidentally the late president of the Ghaqda was Ron Colombo, who was also

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an electrical engineer. He was the person who introduced guide dogs to Malta. ET: You have campaigned on a number of issues involving blind persons... Andrew: I wrote two papers one on the education of blind children and one on a blind personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right to vote. I have put forward my views to top persons from both political parties. On education, while I accept that blind children should be integrated with other children, it is important that these have professional teachers specialising in the education of blind children. The teaching of languages and especially of mathematics needs special treatment, and children born blind or losing their sight early in life have a great handicap and finish learning no mathematics at all. The other issue that I have campaigned extensively is the voting system. At present a blind voter has to declare on oath that he is

blind and then will have to have the assistant commissioner helping him to vote. This lowers the dignity of the person as it lowers his status to that of an illiterate person. I have corresponded with persons of many countries and compared their system with ours. Many countries allow a blind person to take with him a relative who will assist him. This is the best system for Malta, but politicians have always found objections as they think this may lead to abuse. Another system I devised is the template system, where a template consisting of a card which is superimposed on the voting document, has windows cut out in the position where the voter writes his preference. This system was used in one election, but is relatively complex because of the large number of candidates in the document. Among the persons I corresponded with was David Blunkett, who, despite being blind, occupied a top cabinet post in Tony Blairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government. Mr Blunkett provided me with the templates used in the UK for blind voters. However the British system, the first by the post, is much simpler than the proportional representation system we have. I am still hopeful that the politicians will overcome their objection to the trusted relative scheme and blind persons will be able to vote freely. ET

David Blunkett, his family & his guide dog.

Ing. John Pace

Editor, Engineering Today

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‘Innovation through open protocols’ As specialists in the commercial building sector, Prolojik’s core business is the design and supply of fully networked addressable lighting control systems. Prolojik management and development engineers have been forging ahead with adding features and value for their clients, all based on Prolojik’s historic commitment to using only open protocols such as: - LonWorks - DALI - NEMA - TCP/IP - XML Client orientated With our industry leading ‘Perspective™’ graphical user interface clients have the ability to fully manage their lighting installation during operational changes of space and occupancy. Clients who have benefited include: - PwC - Johnson & Johnson - Man Group - UAL - Lloyd’s of London - Wellcome Trust - IPC Media - NATS - Willis Group - Crown Estate - Qatar FIFA bid - GlaxoSmithkline

All lighting has been supplied with DALI compatible control gear with emergency lighting additionally being supplied with DALI emergency inverters. Staff have local comfort control over their lighting level from their PC screen. Every luminaire in the building is individually addressed as are the 3,000 multi-sensors and switches. The Prolojik system integrates the lighting with the AV system in over 100 rooms through the buildings IP services Intranet. Occupancy levels throughout the building are sent in real time via an IP connection to the BMS which regulates heating and ventilation to maximise energy efficiency. The building is the first of its type in the UK to achieve a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating.

Many of our systems most advanced features are on display at Pricewaterhouse Cooper’s new HQ building at 7 More London. Prolojik Perspective™ graphics show every one of the 10,000 luminaires along with their current lighting level, switching/dimming schedules and configuration properties. Every luminaire is monitored for lamp and ballast condition with emergencies additionally being tested remotely and results logged.

www.prolojik.com Malta Agent: Hydrolectric Limited Triq il-Kappillan Mifsud Hamrun, HMR1855 T: 21241111 F: 21243706 E:hydrolectric@ hydrolectric.com.mt

Recent Trends in the Maltese Economy by Mr. Gordon Cordina

Over the past years, in particular the last three, the Maltese have come to realize more than ever before that Malta’s economy is open, integrated with the world and susceptible to external shocks.

Malta’s dependency on imported oil was also felt like never before.

income in Malta standing at 81% of the EU average in 2009.

The global economic scenario has changed considerably with the world going through an oil price crisis and a financial crisis that translated into the world’s worst economic recession in a relatively short time. These factors naturally impinged on Malta’s economic performance.

The absence of a credit crunch, resulting from various factors including the adoption of the euro and a stable financial sector abated the effects of the recession and thus economic recovery was quicker, especially when compared with other countries within the EU. Targeted support measures also accelerated recovery with policies implemented by Government which were specifically designed to help the industry, with particular focus on SMEs, to cope with the recession. Such measures included

Nevertheless, over the past few years, Malta’s average economic growth rate exceeded EU average growth. As a result, convergence to EU per capita income continued with per capita

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transfers which helped the retention of jobs, thereby indirectly sustaining economic activity. This explains why Eurostat forecasts indicate that Malta will at least remain in line with EU growth in the coming two years. Drivers of Economic Growth Real economic growth in Malta reached 6% in 2008, before contracting in the wake of the 2009 recession. Growth rebounded in 2010, growing at faster rates than euro area averages, but was still below the 2008 levels. These cyclical fluctuations evidenced the sensitivity of domestic consumption, investment and exports to the international economic scenario. Up to some time ago household consumption was viewed as excessive in Malta acting as a drag on longer term growth, by curtailing saving and investment, and employing resources which could be utilized in export activity. However, growth in consumption expenditure weakened significantly in the recession and has not recovered markedly since then. The decline in household consumption growth was mainly characterized by uncertainty arising from price inflation growth and possibly from the slowdown in the rate of growth of wage income. On the other hand, Government expenditure did not exhibit significant increases during the recession, unlike other countries. This is because no austerity measures were needed. In fact, the ratio of government consumption to GDP remained stable at slightly over 20%. Although investment volatility typically accentuates business cycles, it is deemed to be a key element for long-term economic growth. Following the steep decline of the recessionary

phase, investment in Malta has recovered in 2010. Defined as a percentage of GDP however, it remains below the early 2008 levels. For a small open economy like Malta, net exports remain a key economic and employment driver. Over the period 2008-2010, there has been a marked improvement in Maltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trade balance underlining the recovery in economic activity in 2010. This shift is a result of a combination of weak domestic demand, thus lower demand for imports, and the strength in a number of export-oriented sectors, mainly based on services. Fiscal consolidation remains a key challenge for Malta, although markedly less so when compared to the average of the euro area. Over the past four years, social security benefits and other government expenditure tended to rise markedly, at a faster pace than that on education or other expenditure of a capital nature. Maltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance on the fiscal deficit tended to lag behind that of the euro area until 2009, when the onset of the recession resulted in significantly larger challenges to the fiscal performance of other countries. Likewise, Malta at present compares favourably to the euro area with respect to the public debt to GDP ratio. The increase in the ratio in recent years however reflects challenges to medium term fiscal sustainability.

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Recent Trends in the Maltese Economy (cont.)

Sectoral Performance The productivity of economic sectors determines incomes and economic growth in the medium to long term. The period from 2007 to 2010 has seen a shift away from the traditional economic base of the economy, ranging from manufacturing to transport and communication, to new sectors mainly involved in export-oriented personal (including remote gaming) and business services. The latter activities increased their share of the economy from 30% to 37% during the period. The share of the public sector also somewhat increased. Between 2007 and 2010, with the intervening recessionary period of 2009, the value added produced by the manufacturing, transport and wholesale and retail sectors declined. Construction and hotels and restaurants remained relatively stable. Value added growth during the period was entirely generated by services and the public sector. The financial, personal and business services sectors perform strongly on these counts. The manufacturing sector appears to be successfully restructuring, though this is implying a downsizing in both value added and employment. Hotels and restaurants, wholesale and retail, and transport and communication are facing difficulties in generating value added despite taking on additional human resources. Wage incomes were relatively sheltered during the recession, as employment was not significantly affected. Still, wage income has not increased in 2010 despite the recovery. Profits took the brunt of the effects of the recession in Malta in 2009, however they have recovered significantly in 2010 although marked sectoral differences continue to exist.

The average profit to turnover ratio in Malta is 20%. Profitability is lowest in hotels and restaurants followed by manufacturing, with the latter sector exceeding pre-crisis levels. Conversely, profitability in the financial and personal services sectors is the highest and fastest growing, while that in wholesale and retail business, though marginally higher than the national average, is declining markedly. Employment and Productivity The development of human capital is a necessity for an island state like Malta that has no natural resources. It is human capital that drives economic and social growth and will determine Maltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success and competitiveness into the future. Although affected by the recession, unemployment was significantly contained in Malta. This positive performance is due to the resilience of specific sectors together with the concerted efforts to save jobs in the manufacturing and tourism sectors. The employment level increased significantly in 2010. Growth in jobs was mainly driven by the business and personal services sectors which more than compensated for the decline in public sector employment. Some sectors with declining value added continued to employ, despite their difficulties.

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Recent Trends in the Maltese Economy (cont.)

The favorable economic out-turn led to a relatively low rate of unemployment in Malta. In 2010, the unemployment rate in Malta was below 7%, compared to an EU average of almost 10%. However, increasing the employment levels, particularly the female one, remains a key economic challenge for Malta. This is essential for per capita income to continue converging to EU levels. There are important differences between the composition of employment and value added in Malta. The traditional economic sectors generate half of jobs but only 38% of the value added. With less than half (21%) that amount of jobs, the personal and business services sectors account for almost the same amount (37%) of value added. This opens up a number

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of opportunities for Malta as more resources are diverted into the high value-added sectors. From a longer term perspective, demographic projections indicate that by 2020, the working age population till age 65 will fall by around 12,200 persons. This creates the additional challenge of providing skilled human resources to sustain economic development. However, given Maltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s low female participation rates there is still an untapped pool of human resources available to industry. This calls for sustaining investment in family friendly measures to improve work-life balance including child care support services and the continuation of the successful fiscal incentives.

Education remains a key cornerstone of Maltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policy requirements and investments in education needs to continue including lifelong learning, underscoring the importance of sustained investment in education. Conclusions and Recommendations Recent performance of economic activity shows a remarkable overall resilience in economic activity, employment and fiscal performance, towards the shocks of the global recession. This positive outcome is mainly due to the growth in export oriented sectors which are becoming a major driver of economic activity.

Despite the favourable outlook, recent trends indicate an unbalanced growth with weak linkages between growing and traditional activities, the latter suffering from competitiveness issues. This might lead to potential increased disparities in economic performance and social cohesion. Thus, the strengthening of linkages between growth and traditional sectors needs to become a priority for industrial policy. Furthermore price transparency and inflation predictability need to be ameliorated particularly in food and utility prices in order to reduce uncertainty with regards to future inflation which is currently hampering domestic demand. Future economic and social growth has to be based on-going investment and the restructuring of fiscal activities. This could possibly entail the restructuring of the welfare system in order to retain growth in expenditure to no more than that in GDP. In addition, increasing resources towards lifelong learning and work-life balance measures will contribute towards enhanced work participation by skilled women and older workers. ET

Mr. Gordon Cordina

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Digestion Plant Produces Electricity from Waste Originally the site for a sewage treatment plant, now being decommissioned in favour of the more modern plant at Taâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Barkat.

The Sant Antnin plant on the outskirts of Marsascala is now an advanced plant for the treatment of solid wastes. The plant includes a facility for the processing of recyclable wastes and a digestion plant which produces methane from household wastes and uses it to generate electricity.

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Background The Santâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Antnin Waste Treatment Plant in Marsascala was commissioned in 1993 as the main facility on Malta to produce compost from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). The plant was commissioned to treat 80,000 tonnes of MSW annually.

Historically, the plant has led to a series of social impacts resulting from odours emanating from the site. To avoid the generation of odours and to limit the objections raised from the nearby communities, a decision was taken in 1997 to test the strongly recommended in-vessel system. The ‘Eco-Pod’ composting method was imported to determine whether to change from the original open window system to the ‘Eco-Pod’ composting method. This technique

involved the mixing of the pre-mechanically treated MSW with bulking agents and bagged in large plastic bags that allow for controlled management of the contained waste. The continued use of this system and the consequent reduction in odours demonstrated that closed systems for the treatment of MSW mitigate nuisances as well as associated inconveniences.

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Digestion Plant Produces Electricity from Waste (cont.)

The ‘Eco-Pod’ composting system, commissioned in 1998, performed at significant levels and the quantities that were treated up to end of 2006 were in the annual region of some 40,000 tonnes of MSW. The performance of this technique confirms that investing in a more permanent and less labour intensive in-vessel system will improve the capacity and method of operation even further. EU Cohesion Funds Application The planned upgrading for the Sant’Antnin facility ensures the improvement of the operational and environmental conditions of this site through the introduction of modular in-vessel treatment systems. The proposed development will include, inter alia, the following elements: • A Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) capable of sorting 36,000 tonnes of separately collected recyclables per annum. • A Mechanical Treatment Plant (MTP) to receive and sort unsorted household waste into an organic fraction, dry recyclable materials such as papers, plastics and metals. • A Digestion Plant that will treat 35,000 tonnes of separately collected biodegradable waste, and possibly sorted biodegradable waste from the Mechanical Treatment Plant, annually in order to produce compost and much needed ‘Green electricity’. 16.7 Million Euros from the European Cohesion Fund shall co-finance (70%) of this project.

Additionally the Government of Malta has forked out 10 Million Euros from local funds. The reliance on the Cohesion Fund to upgrade this facility is indispensable to meet the targets outlined in the Solid Waste Management Strategy to the satisfaction of international and national waste management legislation, standards and best practices. The upgrade of the plant is expected to lead to an improvement of the environmental, social and economic impacts experienced from the operations of the previous plant. This investment will also ameliorate the present percentages of recovered materials from the general waste stream. It will also help in achieving this through improved work conditions for the work force and through greater public participation as a result of Government’s commitment to prioritise this public concern. Benefits of upgrading the “old” Plant Through its Solid Waste Management Strategy, the Government has set a number of targets to increase the amount of material recovered and recycled. The structure of the “old” Sant’ Antnin facility could not keep apace since the operations needed to be modernised. Upgrading this facility would bring about both social benefits that are highly desirable and enhance the level and quality of the operations such that a better product is yielded for recycling. Additionally energy will be recovered from the waste stream. The overall objective of this upgrading is to enable the Maltese Islands to achieve a more sustainable system for managing waste by: • Enabling some of the major requirements outlined in the Solid Waste Management

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Digestion Plant Produces Electricity from Waste (cont.)

Strategy to be fulfilled. This includes the rehabilitation and restoration of the former waste dumpsites since stabilised biodegradable waste produced from the treatment of wet organic fraction of mixed household waste would be suitable as a landfill cover. • Ensuring that waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health and without using processes or methods that could harm the environment. • Establishing an integrated waste management system, taking into account one of the best available technology/ techniques. Process System The Sant’Antnin plant would operate to treat at a maximum of 71,000 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) per annum. The project would contain the following elements and processes: • A Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) capable of sorting separately collected dry-recyclables such as glass, paper, metals and plastics. These materials are mainly received from bring-in sites and the “Irricikla t-Tlieta” grey bag scheme. This facility has a capacity to handle up to 36,000 tonnes per annum. The MRF is housed within part of the old composting building, which has been modified, recladed and fully enclosed. The MRF contains modular expandable sections to meet the handling of the ultimate expected quantity of 36,000 tonnes per annum of dry recyclables. A front wheelloader or forklift-truck loads the input of collected dry recyclables in sequence

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on a succession of conveyor belts which transport the waste to a sorting platform. The sorting platform consists of a broad conveyor belt running at adjustable speed, where the recyclables are picked out by hand and thrown via chutes into separate containers for each material type. The sorting platform has an enclosed working cabin with controlled working conditions in order to ensure that occupational health standards are met. Finally the sorted materials are baled through a bale press. • A Mechanical Treatment Plant (MTP) where unsorted and source separated household waste would be received and sorted. The MTP is a facility that receives the collected mixed municipal solid waste and separates it into an organic fraction, dry recyclable materials such as papers, plastics and metals. The Waste is mechanically separated in a high speed trommel screen. The purpose of this high speed screen is to separate out the light, bulky fractions such as paper and plastics and the smaller sized biodegradable fractions. Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is also recovered from the waste stream. The RDF is baled and wrapped. All these operations would be undertaken within the building which is designed to be as airtight as possible. The whole of the building would be maintained at a negative pressure by air extraction and additional point extraction would be focused on particularly odorous operations. The extracted air would be blown to, and treated in, the Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO). • A Digestion Plant which would treat source separated biodegradable waste and mechanically sorted biodegradable

waste from the MTP in order to produce mainly biogas and some digested material to be stabilised into a soil conditioner i.e. compost/stabilised biowaste. The generated biogas would be used to generate â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Green Electricityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, providing heat for the operation of the plant. The input of the Digestion Plant would be up to 35,000 tonnes per annum and would be composed of varying quantities of mechanically separated and source separated biowaste in order to achieve the input quantity. The bio-degradable fraction is transported from the wet MTP by a pipeline to the hydrolysis tank. This

starts the first stage of the biological breakdown of the waste. From the Hydrolysis tank the waste is pumped into the Methanisation or Digestion tanks. The contents of the tanks are heated to the required temperature. During digestion, the organic components are broken down into simpler constituents, and are converted into biogas; a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. The biogas is fed via a closed system from the digester tank to the gas buffer and finally to the biogas engine capable of generating approx 1.7 MW of electricity. ET

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A New Year at the Faculty of Engineering by Ing. Paul Refalo

As the weather gives us truce from the soaring summer temperatures, the University starts filling up with a refreshed flow of students.

Notwithstanding the increased traffic flows, the Campus takes up one of its most exciting forms, with Fresher’s Week activities and a renewed blood of new and (supposedly) rested continuing students, ready for an academic year full of hard work, which will however undoubtedly lead to many rewards.

Metallurgy and Materials Engineering and Systems and Control Engineering. Together with modules offered by other Faculties, students will go through a series of study units aimed at imparting the fundamentals notions in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, together with a flavour of specialised topics,

Following the successful wrapping up of the last academic year, the Faculty of Engineering continued in its research and teaching preparations throughout the summer semester to be ready to open its doors to a promising 118 first year students, who, starting in October, will follow the B.Eng.(Hons.) Degree Courses in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering. Students will be tutored and supported by staff from the Faculty’s six Departments: Electronic Systems Engineering, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Electrical Power Conversion, Mechanical Engineering,

which are usually in-line with the Departments’ research areas. The Degree Course is their first “passport” for a rewarding career as professionals. The Faculty currently hosts a total of 400 students, spread in the different years of study. The final year students will also have an added challenge to rise to: the Final Year Project. This is perhaps the part of the course most students look forward to, as it is probably the first “test run” in planning, managing and realising an engineering project. Throughout the years, the final year projects have always reached extremely high levels,

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documented by the recurring positive feedback of external examiners, local academics and project partners. Apart from the main technical aspects, students will also be tutored on how to approach the non-technical, but yet important, parts of the project such as its dissemination. This is done through a series of reviews and presentations which culminate when they will be asked to showcase their work to the general public at the Final Year Projects Exhibition, traditionally held at the end of June, beginning of July. Final year students will then have to make one of many decisions that will influence their career, namely whether to start working in a position that will lead to a professional engineer status, or continue to pursue a postgraduate degree in Malta or abroad. The Faculty has made huge steps in the running of post-graduate programmes, both taught and by research. Currently there are 64 full time and part-time post-graduate students pursuing degrees at master or doctoral (PhD) level: they hold a pivotal role in the Faculty’s research projects, which are very often carried out in collaboration with other academic institutions around the world and both local and foreign industrial partners.

number projects that are continuously started thanks to the successful sourcing of research funds (the University is currently revamping its research on-line portal) together with the recent investment in infrastructure, brought about by an impressive number of European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) that the Faculty secured and which enabled the creation or upgrading of many laboratories. Many of the Faculty’s labs now host a vast range of top of the range equipment and software in fields of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), Material Characterisation, Rapid Prototyping and Advanced Manufacturing, Biomedical Engineering, Control Systems, Electrical Machines, Electrical Power and Electronic Systems in addition to the already established facilities that are continuously maintained and used. It would be impossible to describe them all in one article, however more information can be found on the Faculty’s webpage: www. um.edu.mt/eng. The Faculty is also present on Facebook and Twitter (links available from webpage) where staff and students can engage with practicing engineers or anyone interested in sharing ideas on a more informal basis. The Faculty looks forward to another academic year that will hopefully be full of high-level achievements. ET

The importance of research in a high level teaching institution such as the University of Malta cannot be understated and it is hence one of the Faculty’s top priorities to boost its research portfolio. This is evident from the

Ing. Paul Refalo

PRO, Chamber of Engineers

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Liquefied Petroleum Gas by Ing. Stephen Mifsud

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Introduction Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) has been a popular source of fuel for over 70 years due to its convenience, flexibility and environmental advantages. It can be used in a number of ways indoors and outdoors for leisure, commercial and industrial activities. LPG is a mixture of propane and butane which are by-products of the refining process of fossil fuel. Strangely enough these two gases were originally treated as ‘extra’ compounds and were released into the atmosphere. They started to be collected after the scientist, Dr. Walter Snelling, discovered the method to condense them and store them under moderate pressures. Under a moderate pressure of a few bar, LPG can be stored in liquid form. LPG is the cleanest fossil fuel because it is completely lead-free and virtually devoid of sulphur and particulate matter. Compared to normal diesel and lead free petrol it also produces limited quantities of environmentally harmful nitrogen oxide gases. Malta Scenario – Market Liberalisation and Privatisation LPG in cylinders was first introduced in Malta in 1960 when the only gaseous fuel available to date was the piped town gas. The regulation of the above was through the Gas Board which eventually became Enemalta. Presently LPG is either supplied in transportable cylinders or in bulk through the filling of customers’ fixed tanks. The liberalization of the inland fuel market including LPG came into existence in October 2007 through Legal Notice 278 of 2007 with the

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Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cont.)

scope of regulating the inland wholesale fuel market. Up to this point in time importation of LPG was carried out by the state owned corporation Enemalta Gas Division. The liberalization of the market occurred through the publication of LN 278 of 2007 which gave the power to the Malta Resources Authority (MRA) to issue authorisations for any person or company to carry out the activity of an LPG importer, to operate a primary storage facility and to bottle LPG.

distribute LPG in liquid form. Bulk installations eliminate the inconvenience of handling of the transportable cylinders which have to be exchanged when empty.

During 2007 discussions were held between government and various interested parties to privatize the Enemalta Gas Division. A new company GASCO Energy Ltd (GEL) together with its sister company Liquigas (Malta) Ltd were chosen as the preferred bidders and in February 2009 this company stepped into the shoes of Enemaltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gas Division. Enemalta still imports and bottles LPG but Liquigas (Malta) Ltd have been responsible for distribution since this date. In order for GEL to provide a complete service, Government has allocated a site in Benghajsa to be developed into a stateof-the-art LPG storage facility and bottling plant. Authorisations to import LPG, store and retail it from a fixed point of sale have also been given to Easygas (Malta) Ltd.

LPG in Malta has a 10% share of the fuel market, excluding bunker fuels and fuels used for electrical generation. Hence there is a very good possibility that in future its use will increase since it will be available from various fixed points of sale, for instance from supermarkets, petrol stations and ironmongers provided that adequate safety distances are respected.

Transportable cylinders presently come in four sizes namely 10 kg, 12 kg, 15 kg and 25 kg net weight and are distributed via distributors and fixed points of sale. On the other hand, bulk installations which were introduced in 1969 are large fixed tanks with capacities ranging from 500 litres to 25,000 litres. Such tanks which are placed within the premises of the consumer are either above ground, mounded or completely buried. These installations are re-filled via road tankers that

There are presently four licensed bulk distributors and the product is mainly dispensed to commercial and industrial entities and to a lesser extent to private residences. LPG Market Share

New LPG distribution method, new technologies and uses In addition plans are being made to introduce LPG pipe networks which would make this product available â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;on tapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This system is mostly adaptable to areas with a high concentration of users where bulk tanks or cylinders are not installed according to codes of practice. Other benefits of such networks are convenience, reduction of handling and uninterrupted supply. Fixed piped networks have additional benefits which include the elimination of unsafe situations currently prevalent in areas densely occupied by commercial establishments thus permitting enforcement of the LPG codes of practice without economic disruption. It is envisaged that new applications on the use of LPG (for example air conditioning) will in future increase the use of this fuel.

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Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cont.)

Another use to which LPG will be put to is to propel road vehicles. Besides environmental benefits LPG as an automotive fuel (Autogas) combines high performance with economy. In the context of changing fuel prices and concerns over security of supply, air quality, climate change, and the ongoing global economic crisis, Europe will need to make optimum use of all available energy resources and Autogas may be used as an interim solution for easing Europe’s transition to a lowcarbon economy. This is because technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells, electrical storages in high performance batteries and electric cars are either commercially unavailable or still underpowered when compared to compression ignition or spark ignition engines. Malta must therefore follow the European example and in so doing the LPG market share will continue to increase. Regulation LPG like all other fuels can be dangerous if used and stored incorrectly. The Energy Directorate of the Malta Resources Authority (MRA) supports and guards safety and technical standards within the LPG industry. The Authority has issued Codes of Practice dealing with various

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aspects of the LPG sector. This serves as part of the Authority’s duty to effectively regulate the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market. The MRA LPG Codes of Practice are based upon the British Codes of Practice issued by the UKLPG Association. This trade association represents companies that are producers, distributors, equipment and service providers and vehicle converters. In the past these UKLPG Codes of Practice have been referred to by Maltese engineers and technicians operating in the local LPG market. Hence the transposition of the UKLPG Codes of Practice to local circumstances did not cause any problems in the operations of this energy sector. 21 codes of practice have been transposed grouped into 5 sections each dealing with a particular aspect of LPG. • Group A – Bulk Vessels • Group B – Storage and filling of small cylinders • Group C – LPG driven machinery • Group D – Ancillary Equipment • Group E – Cylinder usage at different premises

Various Authorities including the OHSA, CPD, MSA, MMA and MEPA were consulted regarding issues pertaining to their competence. Their comments were mostly adopted and incorporated in the MRA LPG Codes of Practice. The finalised draft codes were put up for public consultation between the beginning of April and the end of June 2009. The suggestions received were reviewed by MRA analysts and in most cases were included in the codes. The Codes became the official documents of the Authority in June 2010.

In addition L.N. 249/2008 also establishes the appointment of the competent person who is responsible for the safety of LPG installations and storage facilities. This person, who primarily must hold the warrant of a professional engineer and who is approved by the MRA, will also be authorised to carry out assessment inspections, material alterations and certify LPG installations. To date the MRA has appointed 18 engineers to be recognised as competent persons. Further Legislations

These Codes of Practice complement Legal Notice 249/2008 dealing with the LPG Market Regulations. This regulation specifies that the various uses of LPG are to be controlled by means of authorisations issued by the MRA. The applications for these Authorisations cover:

A new legislation dealing with Bulk LPG has been drafted and will soon be introduced. The Bulk LPG legislation deals with technical aspects and would eventually regulate the engineering aspect of such storages and the safety aspect of the storages.

1. Application for the Granting, Renewal or Transfer of an Authorisation to Retail Portable Cylinders filled with LPG, including Retail from a Fixed Point of Sale, 2. Application for the Granting, Renewal or Transfer of an Authorisation to Carry out the Activity of a Bulk LPG Distributor, 3. Application for the Granting, Renewal or Transfer of an Authorisation to Operate a Secondary Storage Facility of LPG, 4. Application for the Granting, Renewal or Transfer of an Authorisation to Operate a Fixed Pipe Network of LPG, 5. Application for the Granting, Renewal or Transfer of an Authorisation to Operate an Autogas Retail Station.

The new Autogas Regulation LN 393/2010 establishes that an installer (mechanic) is competent in the field of retrofitting vehicles to LPG and carrying out alterations upon the fuel equipment of such vehicles. Other obligations on the competent person (engineer) will be the certification of autogas equipment and retrofit systems that may be used on vehicles. ET

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Malta Chamber Promotes Diploma Course in Manufacturing Excellence

by Ing. Ray Muscat

The Malta Chamber has an ongoing commitment to ensure that the provision of well educated and skilled human resources in our country adequately matches the fast moving demands of industry. Back in 2008, this was also the view of the Federation of Industry, whose Business Education Committee set out to create what is now the Diploma in Manufacturing Excellence, in collaboration with MCAST. Although the Federation has since merged with the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise, creating The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, this view and commitment has carried on, to the benefit of the business community. Indeed, the Malta Chamber is pleased to announce that this year the Diploma has been re-launched, for a third intake of students. Earlier this year, the first graduation ceremony was held for the first group of 26 students, who applied for the Diploma in 2008. These students were employees from no less than 16 manufacturing companies including Playmobil Malta, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, Actavis Malta, Toly Products Ltd and Carlo Gavazzi Ltd. This twelve unit Diploma is supported by the main employers on the Island, and is directed to those employees in industry who have not followed a formal route of education and are interested in developing their skills and advancement on the career ladder. The modules covered include manufacturing strategy, operations management, internationalisation in manufacturing, quality management and product development and innovation. Many employees who are of high value to their employers do not have formal certification for many of their skills. Through this Diploma, these employees will enhance their knowledge within the specified fields, and also attain recognition of their existing skills and experience obtained through informal learning.

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Issue No. 39

Malta Chamber Promotes Diploma Course in Manufacturing Excellence (cont.)

The positive uptake of the Diploma so far is a clear sign that both employers and employees felt the necessity of certified experience, as well as continuous training. The advantage of the Diploma is that it allows students to put into practice immediately what they are being taught, while in parallel it also acknowledges and validates through formal learning that which has already been learnt at the workplace through years of experience. The collaboration with MCAST provides a structured framework, offering MCAST students the opportunity to better access the world of work through Malta Chamber membership, as well as to deliver vocational education and training programmes/services for the diverse client groups. In this regard, thanks to the collaboration of the Malta Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Energy and Environment Committee, MCAST is also providing a course for PV installers this October. Furthermore, due to collaboration with the Malta Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Manufacturers and Other Industries Economic Group and ETC, MCAST is also rolling out a Diploma for Polymer Process Technicians this year. With the constantly changing market scenarios, the business community has to keep reinventing itself to be more competitive and thus must be supported by a workforce that is equipped with the required skills and technological knowledge.

Ing. Ray Muscat

Director General, The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry

November 2011

Issue No. 39

In its ongoing efforts to continue assisting the membership in this manner, the Malta Chamber has recently established the Malta Chamber Foundation. The overall purpose of this Foundation is to enable the Malta Chamber to have an instrument which can solely focus on value-added services, in terms of education and training, as well as developing of new areas of business support to the Malta Chamber members. ET

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malta engineering excellence

10 Edition th

awards

The Chamber of Engineers is receiving nominaďż˝ons in the following three categories:

Innovation

Lifetime Achievement

Criteria for Nomina on

Leadership

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Any member of the Chamber of Engineers may nominate a candidate

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The nominaďż˝on must be accompanied by documentaďż˝on that must eďŹ&#x20AC;ecďż˝vely highlight the engineering contribuďż˝ons of the candidate

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The nominaďż˝on must include a detailed rĂŠsumĂŠ of the nominee

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The nominaďż˝on shall be submiďż˝ed with a covering leďż˝er addressed to the Chairperson, Awards Selecďż˝on Commiďż˝ee at the address below

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Nominaďż˝ons must be submiďż˝ed by 22nd November 2011

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Nominees must be of Maltese naďż˝onality and residents of Malta, or companies registered in Malta

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Nominaďż˝on forms can be downloaded from the Chamber of Engineers website www.coe.org.mt

Awards ceremony will be held on 7th December 2011 at St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cavalier, Embassy of the Sovereign Military of the Order of St. John, Valleďż˝a under the Disďż˝nguished Patronage of H.E. Dr. George Abela, President of Malta.

Further informaďż˝on may be obtained from: Chamber of Engineers 127, Professional Centre, Sliema Road, Gzira GZR 1633 Tel: 21334858 | email: info@coe.org.mt