Dolphin energy and Qatar Petroleum have signed a long-term agreement to supply natural gas to the United Arab Emirates.

Gulf Arab countries who once saw natural gas largely as a byproduct of their oil production and often sold it cheaply to local industries are now eager consumers of gas in a region where population growth has driven up demand for electricity.

"Qatar Petroleum will deliver additional quantities of gas to Dolphin for export to the UAE through the existing 48-inch subsea pipeline," state-owned Qatar Petroleum (QP) said in a statement on Wednesday.

It did not provide details on the timeframe of the deal it called a "long term gas sale and purchase agreement" or the amount of gas to be supplied.

UAE state news agency WAM said the gas would be provided to the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority and Ras Al Khaimah Gas (RAK Gas) through a marine pipeline.

The Dolphin pipeline supplies 2 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day from Qatar to the UAE and Oman.

Last year the Abu Dhabi government-controlled venture upgraded its compression facilities at its gas processing plant to match its export gas pipeline's supply capacity of 3.2 billion standard cubic feet per day, QP said.

Qatar has become one of world's richest countries by selling gas from the vast offshore North Field to Europe, Asia and the Americas -- bankrolling its preparations to host the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament with some of the profits.