Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea) plans to double the capacity of desalination plants in the emirate to meet water demand expected to grow 43 per cent in the next five years, the state news agency reported.

Adwea plans to produce 969 million gallons of water per day in five years by "virtually doubling" the capacity of a number of desalination plants, WAM said on Saturday, citing Adwea forecasts.

The Umm al-Nar desalination plant now produces 231 million gallons per day, while another three plants produce 230 million gallons, WAM said.

Abu Dhabi, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, expects demand for power to rise almost 80 per cent by 2012 on a boom in the Gulf emirate's construction and industry sectors, according to a government forecast in May.

Demand would rise to 10,600 megawatts in 2012 from 5,910 MW this year, Abu Dhabi's five-year strategic plan showed at the time.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE and controls over 90 percent of its oil reserves.-Reuters