When the new power station was commissioned in 2020 at a cost of £120m+ we were led to believe that power outages would be confined to history.

The newly commissioned batteries at a cost of £16m+ would ensure that power across Gibraltar would be maintained if one or more of the generators failed.

We were told there was enough resilience, or redundancy, in the system to ensure uninterrupted power for many years to come.

The experience has been somewhat different from what Gibraltar has been promised.

This year there have been numerous power cuts and this month alone there have been two, resulting in very significant losses for businesses in a single month. And each time a different reason or excuse is given.

Things are no better now than under the previous administration. And there is never any accountability. This is totally unacceptable.

Companies are fed up.  Trying to run a business in Gibraltar is hard enough with rising costs, increased taxes and the prolonged uncertainty of the treaty.

What hope is there of attracting new businesses to Gibraltar if we cannot look after the ones already here? The huge strain on outdated infrastructure means that it is unlikely to cope with all of the new developments which are planned.

If, after spending many tens of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money, those in charge cannot provide a resilient power supply for the community, they should have the humility to admit their failings and bring in a team of qualified professionals who can.

The Chamber calls on the Government to compensate businesses for the damages that have been caused as a result of these power cuts.