Fears of fuel shortages have led the Government to start planning for potential energy rationing from next month.
The first part of the plan would see the authorities order large energy users, like data centres, to cut back on their usage if there is any squeeze on supply.
The Irish Mirror understands this could begin as soon as next month.
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Last year data centres alone consumed 14% of all electricity generated in the State.
The ongoing war in Ukraine is placing a huge squeeze on international oil and gas supplies.
Russia has a massive influence on the market as it supplies so much of the natural resources to Europe, especially to countries like Germany and Italy.
A growing population here is adding further pressure, fuelling more demand.
The Kremlin is restricting supplies already and EU leaders are desperately fearful that Russian despot Vladimir Putin could turn off the pipeline tap altogether.
Irish EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness revealed to the Irish Mirror earlier this summer that Euro chiefs are considering fuel rationing in the autumn.
And now sources in our own government have revealed that planning is under way in Government Buildings as well.
A well-placed source said: “We have to plan.
“You hear again and again that we don’t get our gas or oil etc from Russia, but we’re completely reliant on it.”
Don Moore, former managing director at the ESB, also warned of energy rationing and he blamed the Government for not being ready.
He told RTE’s Morning Ireland: “I would say there has been a failure in system planning.
“There’s always been a growth in demand for electricity, by the way the population has grown as well, it’s now over five million people
“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 - many of the data centres have their own back-up generators and that will help if there’s a crisis this winter - but there is a bigger crisis and that’s about electricity generation in the widest possible sense.
“We are dependent widely on gas-fired generation in Ireland and the crisis this winter is more likely to be driven by a shortage of gas.”
In June, EU Commissioner for Financial Controls Ms McGuinness first told the Mirror in Brussels that fuel rationing on Irish forecourts could be on the way in the autumn.
She said it “could be a reality” as we face an “increased energy risk” in the coming months.
AA Ireland responded by saying it would be “alarming” if rationing is introduced, with rural people who rely on their car getting hammered hardest.
The prospect of a limit on how much fuel you can buy comes as the Irish Mirror also learned that the European Commission is considering introducing EU-wide price caps on fuel.
The war being waged by Russia in Ukraine has sent the prices of petrol and diesel skyrocketing in recent months, driving inflation and contributing to the cost of living soaring.
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