Qatar is in the midst of a construction frenzy despite the global economic downturn. And it is planning ahead, making the Ras Girtas Power and Water project — a joint effort between the Qatar Electricity and Water Co. (QWEC), a consortium of Japan's Mitsui and France's Suez Energy International, and Qatar Petroleum — one in a string of planned projects. Notable among these projects will be the Ras Abu Fontas project (Figure 4), a desalination plant that will produce 45 million gallons of water per day, when completed this December. 4. Gas and a glowing future. Gas-rich Qatar, whose economy is booming despite the global downturn, is planning ahead to meet its anticipated power needs—and those of neighboring Gulf states, which are struggling to meet power demand. It recently began construction of the $3.9 billion Ras Girtas Power and Water project, which will produce 2,730 MWh as well as 63 million gallons of desalinated water a day.