Qatar to invest over $7bn in water and power projects

 

 

Qatar is planning to pump more than $7 billion (Dh25.7bn) into water and power generation projects within three years to expand capacity and meet rapid growth in demand, a Qatari official said on Wednesday.

 

The investments will sharply increase the Gulf country’s electricity and water production capacity while there are plans for further expansions, said Abdul Sattar Al Rashid, CEO, Power at the Qatar Electricity and Water Company.

 

“Our investments in the power and water sector totalled around $7.7bn during 2000-2007 and there are plans to spend around $7.48bn in such projects between 2008 and 2010,” he told a water and power conference. His figures showed Qatar’s present power capacity is estimated at 4,200 MW, which will surge to 7,900 MW in 2010. Water production stood at 175 million gallons per day and expansions will push it to 290 million gallons in 2010.

 

He said power demand is projected to nearly double to 9,000 MW by 2015 while water consumption will rise to 275 million gallons per day. Like other Gulf states, Qatar relies heavily on desalination facilities, which provide it with more than two thirds of its total drinking water needs.

 

Demand for water and electricity in Qatar is growing by at least seven per cent because of an economic upswing and a rapid growth in population, estimated at over seven per cent. At the end of 2007, Qatar’s population exceeded 800,000 compared to around 744,000 in 2006.

 

 

The numbers

 

175

Million gallons of water is produced by Qatar to meet its daily demand

 

9,000

Megawatts is the projected power demand by 2015 in Qatar