Bord Gáis Energy owner Centrica said that Ireland has been selected as the location for its Power Global Control Centre, with the new centre to be based at Bord Gáis Energy's Monksland site in Athlone.
The new Centrica Power Global Control Centre will provide operational oversight of Centrica Power assets in Ireland, the UK, Belgium and Sweden, including flexible thermal generation, battery energy storage and solar.
Centrica said its €1 billion investment programme is strengthening the country's energy system at scale - supporting security of supply; enabling greater integration of renewable electricity and underpinning the delivery of up to approximately 1GW of flexible power capacity to meet Ireland's growing energy needs.
The selection of Bord Gáis Energy's Athlone facility will create 14 highly skilled roles in the Midlands.
The selection also builds on the region's longstanding role in power generation and reflects how the energy transition is creating new, future focused careers in the sector as part of a just transition, it added.
The Athlone centre will begin operating Bord Gáis Energy's Irish assets from the middle of this year, with Centrica Power's UK assets transitioning in phases during the second and third quarters of 2026.
Chris O'Shea, group chief executive of Centrica, said that Ireland is a market the company knows well and continues to invest in with confidence.
"It is a market where policy ambition is increasingly matched by delivery, creating the conditions needed to invest in critical energy infrastructure," Mr O'Shea said.
"Centrica's investment in Ireland shows what is possible when the UK and Ireland work together: secure energy today, faster progress to net zero, and long-term economic resilience for both countries," he added.
Dave Kirwan, Country Chairperson of Bord Gáis Energy and Managing Director of Centrica Power, said that locating the Centrica Power Global Control Centre in Athlone, alongside our soon tobe-commissioned 100MW flexible peaking plant, brings realtime operational control and critical infrastructure together on one site.
"Flexible generation plays a vital role in maintaining security of supply and enabling greater integration of renewables. This investment shows how close collaboration between our UK and Irish teams is delivering secure energy, highquality jobs and practical progress as the energy system transitions," he added.
Darragh O'Brien, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, said that Ireland's priority is to deliver a clean energy transition while maintaining security of supply and affordability.
"Investments like this bring highly skilled operational capability into the heart of our energy system, support regional development, and help ensure the infrastructure needed to deliver a just transition," he added.
The announcement was made to coincide with Centrica's CEO Chris O'Shea's participation at the UK & Ireland Summit in Cork, which also featured Taoiseach Micheál Martin and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
