The UAE is planning to increase its production of natural gas by 33 per cent by the end of 2008, Energy Minister Mohammed bin Dhaen al Hamili said here today.

Attributing the planned increase to the fast development taking place in the country, growing population and industrialisation, all of which requires substantial quantities of power, he said the UAE's proven reserve base of natural gas is estimated at over six trillion cubic metres, thus placing it fourth in the region and fifth in the world.

Oil and natural gas reserves were sufficient "because production is entirely compensated for by additions of new proven reserves. There is certainly no danger of constraints in natural gas reserves in the near to medium terms," he said.

He said proven natural gas reserves today were estimated at 180 trillion cubic metres, which would suffice world demand for another 65 years at the current production levels.

Al Hamili said the rate of estimated growth of natural gas demand varies from 1.8 to 3.1 per year until 2020, adding that the growth in world demand of LNG is expected to reach 12 per cent per year by 2015.