New facility will produce 40 million litres of potable water daily, strengthening Malta's water security
Minister for Energy, the Environment and the Regeneration of the Grand Harbour Miriam Dalli unveiled plans for a new Reverse Osmosis plant in Ħal Far, representing an investment of approximately €60 million by the Water Services Corporation (WSC). The facility will produce 40 million litres of potable water per day, increasing Malta's total national water production capacity to approximately 200 million litres daily by 2030.
The Ħal Far plant is the latest major investment in WSC's current capacity upgrade strategy. The new capacity will meet the expected growth in water demand over the next two decades. It will also give the national system significant generation redundancy. This means Malta can maintain supply when any one of its five production plants is offline for planned maintenance, refurbishment or an unexpected shutdown.
Preliminary investigations at Ħal Far have been completed these investigations confirmed that the site's geological characteristics are well suited to reverse osmosis abstraction. The surrounding rock formations act as a natural pre-filter, helping to treat seawater before it reaches the plant's membrane systems.
The project will include a Reverse Osmosis facility capable of producing 40 million litres of potable water per day, alongside office facilities, a central control room, large storage reservoirs for different water streams and the necessary hydraulic infrastructure to connect the plant to the national distribution network. It will also involve the construction of approximately 9 kilometres of twin 700 mm diameter transmission mains linking Ħal Far to the Qrendi reservoir, a key distribution hub for southern Malta, allowing the additional water production to feed directly into the national network.
The Ħal Far project will complete the Water Services Corporation's five-year strategic master plan for production capacity, representing a major investment in Malta's water resilience. Once operational, it will strengthen the national water production network, enabling it to better accommodate planned maintenance, respond more effectively to unexpected outages and safeguard continuity of water supply across the islands.
Minister Miriam Dalli said: “It is important that we plan ahead and continue investing in our country's essential infrastructure. Through this €60 million investment, we are strengthening Malta's water security, ensuring that families and businesses can continue to rely on a consistent supply of quality water, today and in the years to come. This is another important step towards ensuring that our water infrastructure is prepared for the country's future needs."
WSC CEO Karl Cilia said: “Ħal Far completes the five-year master plan we set for production capacity. Our investigations confirmed that the site's rock formation acts as a natural pre-filter, which supports efficient plant operation. The new transmission mains to Qrendi will feed this capacity straight into the southern network. Most importantly, we will be able to take any one of our production plants offline for maintenance or refurbishment without affecting supply."
Further details about the project, presented during its launch, can be found on the WSC website at: wsc.com.mt/halfar.
