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AN BORD Pleanála is to fast-track a planning application for a €350m power station in Co Offaly, which is backed by the Taoiseach's younger brother, Barry Cowen, after ruling that the project was a strategic infrastructure development.
The move means that the project could receive planning approval within months. It comes as industry sources indicated that Japanese conglomerate Mitsui may be interested in acquiring a stake in the company behind the plans, Lumcloon Energy.
Lumcloon is backed by Irish engineering firms R&R Mechanical and Terotech International.
Over 500 jobs are likely to be created during the project's construction.