Qatar’s power generation and seawater desalination output has surged in 2019 with both set for huge annual records. The gains mark a setback for government-backed efficiency measures which had seen a significant reduction in power usage for 2018.

State power and water firm QEWC generated a record 5.65TWh in August (MEES, 18 October). Generation has since declined in line with seasonal norms, but at 5.08TWh for October it remains well above previous records (see chart 1). Output for January-October 2019 is 22% up on the first 10 months of 2018, suggesting that Qatar is on track for record annual electricity generation of 48TWh this year (see chart 2). (CONTINUED - 776 WORDS)