Power cut fears played down by minister

The Minister for Natural Resources Noel Dempsey has played down any immediate threat of power cuts.

The Economic and Social Research Institute recently warned of a growing risk of disruption to power supply because of increased demand for electricity.

Last month generating capacity was cut by 18% because of problems in the network.

Noel Dempsey said he has received assurances from the ESB that they have put contingency plans in place to import electricity and other measures.

“I'd just ask people to follow the Power of One campaign and decrease their usage in any way they can,” he added.