Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) recorded a peak power demand across the country of 4,535MW this summer, a 14 per cent increase on the country’s peak demand in the summer of 2008.

Qatar’s consumption of water peaked at 215 million gallons in June, up 7 per cent from a peak of 197 million gallons in September 2008.

Kahramaa currently has 232,000 electricity customers and 178,000 water customers.

The power and water utility released the figures in its latest annual report.

The company will also add capacity over the next two years. Kahramaa’s Mesaieed A independent power project, which currently produces 1,000MW of power, will produce 2,007MW by April 2010.

Its Ras Abu Fontas A plant will produce 45 million gallons a day (g/d) of water by January 2010.

Kahramaa’s Ras Laffan C independent water and power project (IWPP) will generate 1,600MW of power when it opens in May 2010, and 2,730MW when a second round of capacity comes on line in April 2011. It will also produce 20 million g/d of desalinated water from August 2010 and 63 million g/d from September 2010.