Viridian, the former Northern Ireland electricity company, has applied to Fingal County Council for permission to amend its proposed generating station at Huntstown in North County Dublin.

According to details supplied with the application, the changes result from dimensional restrictions to the buildings at the power plant, imposed by An Bord Pleanβla.

The company is seeking alterations to reduce the footprint and height of the turbine hall as well as a number of other buildings, including the waste water treatment plant; a reduction in size of the electrical switchyard and a relocation and reduction in diameter of the main stack which will be increased in height.

Increases in height are also being sought for the air-cooled condenser, the heat recovery boiler, and the fuel storage-tanks which are to be reduced in number.

The maximum elevation of the stacks, at 112m remains unchanged.

The plant is set to be a significant feature of our future national grid. It and another proposed plant at Ringsend in Co Dublin are expected to help develop capacity to grow by about 20 per cent next year, according to the Minister for Public Enterprise Ms O'Rourke.

Last February a Turkish company, Gama, tendered successfully for Viridian's Huntstown plant which is expected to contribute 340 mw at a price of £10.3 million (€13.08) - 36 per cent below the lowest Irish bid.

The precise location of the plant is at the North Road, in the townlands of Johnstown and Huntstown, Finglas, Dublin 11.

The planning application was lodged in the name of Huntstown Power Company Ltd, with an address at 1-3 Fitzwilliam Street Lwr, D2.

Last month it emerged that Bord Gβis may take a stake in the Huntstown plant which, when commissioned, is expected to be the first independent competitor to the ESB.

Viridian is seeking a co-investor in the plant although it is thought likely that no deal will be made until next year. Bord Gβis has confirmed it is in discussions with a number of independent power producers at the moment - one of them Huntstown.

The project cost is in the region of £200 million (€253m) but there could be substantial advantages to both sides in a link up.

The power-plant could purchase gas to generate power from Bord Gβis, which is already involved in the Republic's market and sells electricity generated by the ESB to industrial users.

Viridian bought out its original co-investor, Cement Roadstone Holdings, last year after the building materials group decided to leave the market.

No alternative investor emerged at that stage of the negotiations.

Bord Gβis itself has long-standing plans to become a major player in the electricity market and sees the adoption of a dual-energy strategy as crucial to its future growth.

The state company is believed to be looking at gas distribution business in Britain and was reported to be prepared to spend in the region of £100 million. (€127m).

Bord Gβis also has agreements with a US group, ATCO, and with Aughinish Alumina to develop a large electricity generation plant in Co Limerick.

The electricity market was partially opened to competition last year and it will be fully liberalised in 2005.