The ESB is to expand significantly its operations in the British energy market with a €4bn investment drive to build power plants.
The ESB's international arm, ESBI, has acquired an interest in a number of British power companies and plans to build over 3,000 megawatts of gas-fired and renewable energy plants by 2020.
ESBI currently has operations and projects in more than 35 countries including the UK, but the ESB says this initiative will rank them in the top ten energy companies in the British electricity market.
The investment opportunity comes because of a projected shortfall in generating capacity in Britain over the next few years.
The ESB will build and operate a gas-fired power station near Manchester which will generate electricity for 1m homes by 2013 while another gas-fired station near Southampton will be operational by this time next year.
The ESB's plans in Britain also include wind-power projects.
