The consortium will build a one-million-kilowatt thermal power plant and a plant that can produce 300,000 tonnes of water daily in the Taweelah complex by July 2008, Marubeni said in a statement.

Under a 20-year contract with the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), the consortium would also buy an existing Taweelah one-million-kilowatt thermal power plant and a plant that produces 450,000 tonnes of water daily.

A joint venture would be set up to run the facilities starting April, with the consortium taking a 40-percent stake and the ADWEA the remaining 60 percent.

Marubeni formed a consortium with Japanese engineering firm JGC Corp., BTU Power Co. of the United States and Malaysian power producer PowerTeck Bhd, to compete for the deal.

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