Ireland could face rolling blackouts this winter, as the country is the 'least prepared' for the continuing energy crisis which has skyrocketed in recent weeks.
The crisis shows no signs of slowing down either, with another hike in the price of electricity only last week, bringing the number of price rises in the last 18 months into double figures.
On top of that, the prices of both oil and gas remain extraordinarily high, putting further pressure onto the Irish public to try and cut costs elsewhere so they can heat their home or cook their food.
And speaking about the prospect of blackouts, former managing director of ESB International Don Moore said that Ireland was the 'least prepared' of the countries on the European gas grid to deal with the crisis.
Other nations like Germany, France and Italy are stocking up on gas and oil now to store them for the inevitable winter snap - but Ireland have opted not to do that.
Speaking to Morning Ireland, Mr Moore explained: "We decided not to exercise that option
"Ireland, the country at the end of the European gas grid, is the least prepared for a gas crisis this winter."
"I would say there's been a failure in system planning. There's always been growth in demand for electricity and the population has grown as well. It's now over 5 million people," he added.
"Power generation is not something you can conjure up in a number of months. It takes a number of years, and this could have been anticipated and it obviously wasn't, so we have a short-term problem.
"We're importing over 70% of our gas from the UK or through the UK and for some reason we have no gas storage in Ireland."
The leader of the Green Party has said that Ireland will not have to ration energy in the autumn and winter - but wants people to do so themselves on a "voluntary basis".
Last month, the EU asked nations to reduce their gas consumption by 15% between 1 August 2022 and 31 March 2023, with fears that Vladimir Putin would cut off the Russian gas supply to the continent.
However, Eamon Ryan confirmed that Ireland would not fall under that banner as it's not reliant on the same grid as mainland Europe.
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