The outlook for electricity supply is 'challenging', which could lead to widespread power outages.
Eirgrid's latest Generation Capacity Statement says demand is outstripping supply - potentially leading to more regular outages over the next decade.
It also found Irish power plants are deteriorating in availability.
Energy Economist with the ESRI, Muireann Lynch, says power outages are more likely than ever, providing nothing changes:
It's essentially finding is that the capacity shortage that we're looking at for this winter is going to get worse before it gets better.
Now you can never say for sure whether or not there will be outages, you can only talk in a probabilistic way.
But given the shortages that we're seeing coming down the line, that would say that black outs are far more likely than they've ever been unless something big changes on the supply side
