S.L. 545.41 Art. 2Interpretation. Cap. 545.  S.L. 545.24.     Cap. 16.  S.L. 545.34.    S.L. 545.38. S.L. 545.34.   S.L. 545.34.  S.L. 545.34.    S.L. 545.34.

(1) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires:

"Act" means the Regulator for Energy and Water Services Act;

"agency agreement" means a contract whereby the distribution system operator appoints an agent to provide services in connection with a specific location or premises, as specified in these regulations and in the relevant contract, for and on behalf of the distribution system operator;

"applicant" means a person who submits an application to the distribution system operator;

"application" means an application submitted to the distribution system operator, as may be required from time to time, for services provided by the distribution system operator, including for those services referred to in regulation 5(4);

"authorised provider" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in the Electrical Installations Regulations;

"building unit" means a building or part of a building, section, floor or apartment within a building which is designed or altered to be used separately and which has a separate connection to the network;

"bulk network connection" means a three phase connection to the network in excess of sixty (60) Amps per phase, provided through one (1) meter;

"CHP" or "cogeneration" means the simultaneous generation in one (1) process of thermal energy and electrical or mechanical energy; "commodatum agreement" means a gratuitous loan for use, for a specified time or purpose, subject to the obligation of the borrower to restore the thing itself as regulated by the relevant agreement and the Civil Code ;

"connection" or "network connection" means the connection of a customer to the distribution network for the purposes of importing electricity from and, or exporting electricity to the distribution network and, or the connection of a temporary installation:

Provided that a customer may be registered with the distribution system operator with respect to more than one

(1) connection to the distribution network:

Provided further that each premises or temporary installation may only have one (1) connection to the distribution network;

"customer" means any person connected or entitled to be connected to the network by the distribution system operator and who imports electricity from and, or exports electricity to the distribution network;

"day consumption" means the consumption registered between 06:00 hours and 22:00 hours of the same day;

"developer" means, in relation to a development or a single building unit, as applicable, any person who:

(i) owns the land on which the development is, or shall be, situated;

(ii) is constructing a development or a single building unit;

(iii) is indicated in the planning permission application in respect of the relevant development; and, or

(iv) submits an application for a new load or upgrade with a distribution system operator;

"development" means a building or structure consisting of two (2) or more building units, provided that for the purpose of these regulations, one (1) or more buildings or structures which are subject to more than one (1) development planning applications shall be considered as a single (1) development if the relevant buildings or structures are either physically internally interconnected with each other, at any level, or the distribution system operator determines that they form part of one (1) project;

"distribution system operator" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in the Electricity Regulations and any function to be performed, decision to be taken and, or discretion to be exercised by the distribution system operator in accordance with these regulations shall be performed, taken and, or exercised, as applicable, by such person or persons that the board of directors of the distribution system operator authorises for such purpose, and in accordance with the terms and conditions as the said board of directors deems appropriate. For the purposes of these regulations a reference to the distribution system operator shall also be construed, where required, as being a reference to any subsidiary or associated company of the distribution system operator, or to any other entity, however so described, duly authorised in writing by the distribution system operator to perform any of the functions that the distribution system operator may undertake in accordance with these regulations including, without limitation, a service provider and, or an agent acting under an agency agreement, in each case in relation to the relevant functions of the distribution system operator;

"domestic premises" means a premises which includes private dwellings with no persons registered with the distribution system operator as residing in them, such as secondary residence, or private garages, not exceeding fifty

(50) square metres, and common areas including roofs, stairs, lifts, terraces and gardens which are used solely for private dwellings;

"electric vehicle" or "EV" shall have the same meaning assigned to it in the Publicly Accessible Electric Vehicle

Charging Infrastructure Regulations;

"electrical installation" means a system of electrical wirings and equipment intended for conveying electricity and the disconnecting apparatus located on the customer’s side of the electricity service meter;

"energy storage facility" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in the Electricity Regulations;

"EN 50549" means the European standard covering the requirements for generating plants that are connected in parallel with the distribution network;

"EV meter" means an electricity meter installed or approved by the distribution system operator for the purpose of measuring the consumption of electricity for the charging of an EV;

"generator" means a person or a body who generates electricity in accordance with a licence or exemption or otherwise, in accordance with the Electricity Regulations;

"high voltage" or "HV" means voltage of nominal RMS value greater than thirty three kV (33kV) in relation to alternating current between any conductor;

"HV contribution" means a contribution fee towards the high or medium voltage kVA capacity costs;

"institutional households" shall include the following buildings:

(a) healthcare institutions such as buildings used as a hospital, nursing home or as any institution providing medical or nursing care;

(b) institutions for retired, elderly or disabled persons, including buildings used as a home for the retired or elderly persons or persons with any disability;

(c) educational institutions including buildings used as a boarding school or for similar purposes;

(d) care institutions including buildings used as orphanages, shelter homes, open centres for refugees or for similar purposes;

(e) religious institutions including buildings used as convents, retreat houses or for similar purposes;

(f) military institutions such as military barracks; and

(g) other institutions including buildings used as boarding houses, penal or correctional facilities or for similar purposes;

"kV" means kilo Volt;

"kVA" means kilo Volt Ampere;

"kVAh" means kilo Volt Ampere hour;

"kW" means kilo Watt;

"kWh" means kilo Watt hour; "low voltage" or "LV" means voltage of nominal RMS value equal or less than one kV (1kV) in relation to alternating current between any conductor;

"maximum demand in any period" means twice the highest demand in kWh or kVAh supplied during any thirty (30) consecutive minutes during the year, or quarter of the year, as the case may be, as registered by the maximum demand indicator or register of the meter installed in such premises by the distribution system operator:

Provided that:

(a) where the seal of a maximum demand indicator of the meter is found broken or tampered with, the indicator shall be conclusively deemed to have registered the highest demand in kW or kVA, depending on the applicable tariff, which the meter is capable of registering; or

(b) where a maximum demand indicator or register of the meter is found to be defective, for reasons other than breaking or tampering, the maximum demand supplied made in any period during the last preceding year or, as the case may be, during the last preceding corresponding trimester shall, unless it is otherwise agreed between the distribution system operator and the customer, apply to the year or, as the case may be, to the trimester in relation to which such indicator or register is found to be defective, until the indicator or register is repaired or replaced by the distribution system operator:

Provided further that, without prejudice to the other provisions of these regulations and for the purposes of this definition only, "year" means a period of approximately twelve (12) consecutive months ending on such day not earlier than the 24th March and not later than the 7th April on which a reading is carried out;

"medium voltage" or "MV" means voltage of nominal RMS value greater than one kV (1kV) up to thirty three KV

(33kV) in relation to alternating current between any conductor;

"meter" means the electricity meter and any other associated equipment and wiring provided and installed, or approved, by the distribution system operator to register the electricity generated and, or imported and, or exported by a customer and, where applicable, the maximum demand in the relevant premises or temporary installation; "network" means the electricity distribution system;

"network code" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in regulation 29 of the Electricity Regulations;

"night consumption" means the consumption of electricity registered between 22.00 hours of one (1) day and 06.00 hours of the following day;

"non-residential premises" means any premises which may be provided with a connection to the network and which is not a domestic premises or a residential premises;

"person" means a natural or legal person;

"physically internally interconnected" means premises that are internally physically accessible without one having the need to pass through public ways including:

(a) common areas;

(b) basement garages; or

(c) interconnected dwelling places;

"premises" means any site, area, land, development, building, structure, building unit, single building unit, institutional household, vehicle, installation and, or device, which may be connected to the network through a separate network connection for the purposes of import and, or export of electricity and includes, without limitation any residential premises, domestic premises and non-residential premises;

"primary residence" means the dwelling place in which an individual habitually resides as his principal place of abode in Malta, as may be established by documentary evidence:

Provided that a dwelling place shall not be considered as a primary residence if the property is also predominantly used for commercial, industrial or manufacturing purposes or for any form of trade or profession;

"public charging station" means for the purpose of these regulations, an EV charging station located within a public road or public space where the demand relates only to EV charging;

"residential premises" means any premises used solely and regularly as a private dwelling where at least one (1) person is registered with the distribution system operator as residing in it, but does not include institutional households; "reading" means a reading of the electricity generated, imported from and, or exported to the network and registered by a meter, by a person authorised by the distribution system operator to undertake the said readings, or through a remote reading mechanism, or in the manner indicated in the proviso to regulation 22(16);

"Regulator" means the Regulator for Energy and Water Services established by article 3 of the Act;

"RES" means energy from renewable non-fossil sources, namely wind, solar such as solar thermal and solar photovoltaic and geothermal energy, ambient energy, tide, wave and other ocean energy, hydropower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogas;

"RMS" means root-mean square of the AC voltage value;

"route length" means when referring to an extension with overhead lines or by underground cable, the horizontal distance from the nearest suitable low voltage connection point, or suitable substation, as the case may be, to the meter box along a cable and, or aerial line through a publicly accessible road or passageway;

"secondary residence" means any immovable property used solely for residential purposes, other than that which serves as an individual’s primary residence;

"single building unit" means a premises consisting of an entire building or structure having a single connection to the network, excluding any other network connection for the export of electricity;

"smart meter" means an advanced electricity meter that stores data related to the consumption and export of electricity enabling two-way transfer of data through a network, primarily for monitoring and billing purposes;

"special readings of meters" means the reading of a meter made at the request of the customer;

"standard material" means cables, transformers accessories normally stored and used by the distribution system operator to extend network connections;

"standard network connection" means a network connection through one (1) meter which may be any one (1) of the following:

(a) single phase network connections of forty

(40) Amps;

(b) three phase network connections of forty

(40) Amps per phase; and

(c) three phase network connections of sixty

(60) Amps per phase;

"suitable low voltage connection point" means an existing connection point on the low voltage network from where extensions can be connected using the standard materials used by the distribution system operator and which is the least-cost technically acceptable connection, wherever possible, which meets the requirements of the network code;

"suitable substation" means an existing non-dedicated substation where the peak load of the substation at the time of the application and, or consultation stage including the additional load shall not exceed seventy-five per cent (75%) of the transformer rating, as long as the transformer cannot be replaced by one with a larger rating;

"substation" means an enclosure housing the equipment and, or apparatus for either transforming or converting energy to, or from high voltage to low voltage, or vice versa, or for switching, controlling or regulating the energy at high voltage, and includes the equipment and apparatus therein;

"substation land" means the area over which a substation is built or the area which has been identified for a substation to be built on;

"temporary installation" means an electrical installation which is not of a permanent nature and which may include but is not limited to, decorative street lighting, public entertainment facilities, outdoor mobile units, cranes and any construction sites.

(2) Unless the context otherwise requires, words and phrases used in these regulations which are not herein defined shall have the same meaning as that assigned to them in the Act and in the Electricity Regulations.