The United Arab Emirates should diversify its power generation sources, with nuclear energy providing the best option for the oil-rich country, the minister of state for foreign affairs said on Monday.
"The UAE needs a diverse portfolio of energy in order to remain safe," Anwar Gargash told the energy security conference organised by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research.
"Nuclear energy is the best solution to provide for its (power generation) needs," he said.
"(Nuclear energy) will provide a high level of energy security for the UAE," he added.
Gargash said that power demand in the UAE, the second-largest Arab economy, will increase to 40,000 megawatts by 2020, double its current level.
He reiterated the commitment of the capital Abu Dhabi to generate seven percent of its energy needs from renewable resources by 2020.
The UAE is seeking to minimise its reliance on hydrocarbons and says it is committed to decreasing its carbon footprint. Masdar, being built near Abu Dhabi and due to be completed by 2015, is being touted as a zero-carbon emissions city.
Masdar will also house the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
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