The Coalition for Gozo has lodged an objection to a proposed industrial-scale solar farm on Ta’ Kuljat Hill, in Żebbuġ. The project would cover around 27,360sq.m of countryside, directly over mapped garrigue habitat home to several endemic plant and animal species. This development conflicts with planning policy and previous refusals by the Planning Authority.

The coalition argues that the application runs counter to policies intended to safeguard sensitive landscapes, potential archaeological remains, hydrological systems and rural land. Moreover, it is incompatible with the Solar Farm Policy 2021, which directs solar farms away from undisturbed or agricultural land, open countryside, garrigue and areas of high sensitivity.

The Planning Authority had previously refused a similar proposal for failing to satisfy planning policy. The coalition notes that this new proposal departs even further from the applicable framework, risking permanently scarring Ta’ Kuljat Hill and setting a dangerous precedent for Gozo’s other flat-topped hills.

While the coalition is not opposed to renewable energy, it insists that such farms do not belong in protected countryside but on rooftops, industrial areas, landfills, or quarries. The proposal would require cables, poles, trenching and national grid-connection works, generating light pollution to the hilltop.

The existing path is narrow, being less than a metre wide in some areas, and cannot accommodate construction traffic or heavy machinery. Therefore, any realistic solution would necessitate a new access route on agricultural land. The Coalition for Gozo has called on the Planning Authority to reject the application PA/03747/26 and encouraged the public to submit an objection to the authority using this link.

The coalition’s stance highlights the ongoing debate over the balance between renewable energy development and environmental protection in Malta. As the proposal stands, it seems unlikely that the project will meet planning requirements, further fuelling concerns about its feasibility. The outcome of this application will be closely watched as a test case for future renewable energy projects on the island.