Two of the State's newest power stations have been shut down on health and safety grounds, the ESB confirmed today.
The Lough Ree, Co Longford, and West Offaly peat-burning plants were closed after corrosion was discovered in pipes in the gas treatment area.
Both stations opened at the end of 2004 and Labour
Party energy spokesman Tommy Broughan said msut explain why plants which cost almost €500 million to build had been shut down.
Examinations of the plants have yet to be completed, but the ESB said strict regulations on cutting gas emissions from power stations may have played a part in the deterioration.
The gas treatment area of the plants involves sophisticated systems that remove pollutants and toxins from smoke after the peat is burnt. This cleaner gas is then let into the atmosphere.
Through new technologies and modern boiler design, emissions of both nitrogen oxides and sulphurs have been reduced to well under the latest EU limits, but it is feared these new systems have caused corrosion in certain areas.
A spokesman for the ESB said there is no imminent danger to power supplies as the two stations only have a combined output of 250 megawatts.
He said the problem was first spotted in the €200 million Lough Ree plant in May after it was closed for its annual overhaul.
"As a result of that we decided to call in the manufacturers and then looked at our other peat plant running in West Offaly.
"We took readings in the same area and sent them to the manufacturers, and the manufacturers last Friday told us we should take it off line," the spokesman said.
Lough Ree could be closed for six weeks while a timetable for West Offaly returning to generation can only be established after further technical examination by Foster Wheeler, the Finnish company that built both plants.
Mr Broughan said responsibility for the shutdown must be established by Minister Noel Dempsey and the board of ESB and plan of action for solving the problem should be made public.
"As this is the second occasion on which the two stations have had to close as a result of problems with corrosion, it would appear to point to serious underlying problems arising either from the design or construction of the stations.
"We are relatively lucky that these closures have come about in the summer when demand for electricity is low, otherwise it might well have threatened the continuity of supply for consumers," Mr Broughan said.
Fine Gael Laois/Offaly TD Olwyn Enright said she was seeking further clarification from the ESB "as to the length of time the West Offaly Power Plant will be out of commission, what steps will have to be taken to re-commission the plant, and who will bear the financial responsibility for the work that needs to be carried out to ensure the safety of the facility."
Additional reporting PA