Eirgrid is to be given permission to purchase 450MW of temporary electricity generators for next winter to ensure security off supply in the face of increasing demand from data centres and old plants being decommissioned.
The additional power reserve being sought is modest in terms of the overall (equivalent to a wind farm) but will be considered vital to meet peak demand during the winter.
Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Energy Eamon Ryan is expected to ask for approval for the added capacity at Cabinet on Tuesday.
There are concerns that capacity may be exceeded because older and increasingly unreliable electricity plants are being decommissioned as well as increasing demand from the growing economy (some but not all of which is data centres).
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The Government will stump up the upfront capital costs and Eirgrid will recoup the cost from customers over three years.
