The ESB this afternoon put in place a committee of board members authorised tocomplete negotiations with unions if the target deadline of midnight tonight is not met.
In a statement the ESB board said progress had been made and urged management and unions to successfully conclude the talks.
The statement added the committee would always be available and has the authority to sign off on agreements reached with the various groups subject to formal review by the board when it reconvenes.
The company's board was due to approve a new Programme for Action on Competitiveness and Transparency today but negotiations problems have made this unlikely.
The talks snagged on Saturday when it emerged some workers were unhappy about the discovery of special payments to fitters in Powergen, an ESB division that maintains power stations.
The company is offering a 21 per cent pay increase in return for radical changes in work practices and some 2,000 voluntary redundancies.
A SIPTU spokesman told ireland.com: "The situation remains unclear as there are a number of different negotiations going on and some are closer to conclusion than others."
But he said he remained optimistic agreement in all areas will be reached in the next few days.
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