ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi will invite bids for a new independent water and power project (IWPP), its ninth facility, by September as the emirate boosts capacity to meet rising demand, two sources said yesterday.

The emirate's top decision making body, the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, last month approved Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority's (Adwea) plan to build a new IWPP at Mirfa, about 160 km along the coast from the UAE's capital city.

"Advisers for the project will be appointed first and the process of prequalifying companies will start in about three to four months," a source at the state-owned utilitysaid.

Power generation capacity at Mirfa will be at least 1,500 MW and the desalination plant will produce about 60 million gallons per day (mgpd).

Mirfa has an existing plant that produces about 250 MW of power and 34 mgpd of water.

"The existing plants are likely to be removed because they are not reliable," said a second source.

Currently, Abu Dhabi produces some 9,000-plus MW of power from its eight IWPPs, most of which is consumed within the emirate and about 22 per cent exported to the northern emirates, according to latest Adwea statistics.

Abu Dhabi's peak electricity demand last year was 7,683 MW, up 12pc on the previous year.

Demand is forecast to grow at 11.3pc annually in Abu Dhabi up to 2015.

Abu Dhabi is also exploring other forms of energy including solar, wind and nuclear.

Previously, firms including Japan's Marubeni, International Power, GDF-Suez have built power plants in Abu Dhabi.