Methodological Notes

1. Definitions:

● Megawatt (MW): is a unit for measuring power that is equivalent to one million watts.

● Megawatt-hour (MWh): is equal to 1,000 kilowatts or one million (1,000,000) watts of electricity produced by a power plant that runs continuously for one hour.

● Gigawatt-hour (GWh): is equal to 1,000 megawatts or one billion (1,000,000,000) watts of electricity produced by a power plant that runs continuously for one hour.

● Maximum electricity demand: the highest amount of electricity consumed at any one point in time across the entire network system.

● Renewable energy: energy that is obtained from resources which are continually replenished on a human timescale. Such resources include sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat.

● Photovoltaic (PV) system: A complete set of components for converting solar radiation into electricity by the photovoltaic process, including the array/s of photovoltaic modules that collect and absorb sunlight for conversion into electricity, inverter/s and associated balance of system components.

● CO₂ equivalent: is a metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases on the basis of their global-warming potential (GWP), by converting amounts of other gases to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide with the same global-warming potential.

● Own use by power plants: is the difference between Gross and Net production, i.e. it is the electricity and heat used by power station auxiliaries directly related to generation and including that used in the fuel handling plant, cooling water plant, power station services, heating, lighting, workshops and administrative buildings directly associated with the power station during both on-load and off-load periods.

● Gross electricity production: is the sum of the electrical energy production by all the generating sets concerned (including pumped storage) measured at the output terminals of the main generators.

● Net electricity production: is equal to the gross electricity production less the electrical energy absorbed by the generating auxiliaries and the losses in the main generator transformers.

● Imports and Exports: Amounts of electricity and heat are considered as imported or exported when they have crossed the political boundaries of the country, whether customs clearance has taken place or not. If electricity is “wheeled” or transited through a country, the amount should be reported as both an import and an export. From 2023, electricity exports through the Malta-Sicily Interconnector were reported at Ragusa point instead of at Magħtab point.

● Electricity supply: For electricity, this is the electrical energy supplied from the plant. In the case of a national network, this is equal to the sum of the net electrical energy production supplied by all power stations within the country, reduced by the amount used simultaneously for pumping as well as the amount used for heat sold using heat pumps and electric boilers. It is then reduced or increased by exports to or imports from abroad.

2. Data is subject to revision.

3. Renewable energy data was revised for reference years 2021 and 2022.

4. More information relating to this news release may be accessed at:

Statistical concepts

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