The UAE is considering integration of nuclear power with hydrocarbons and sustainable energy sources for power generation, a senior government official said.

The country was planning to import large quantities of natural gas to meet the growing demand of local economy, Energy Minister Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei was quoted in an Emirates News Agency (WAM) report.

He referred to the Dolphin project, the first intra-GCC gas network that connects Qatar, the UAE and Oman.

"The (country’s) leadership also saw that the country cannot rely on natural gas as a sole source of power generation and a new strategy for integrating nuclear energy into the power generation model is needed,” he said.

Abu Dhabi is implementing a programme for development of four 1,400-MW nuclear plants which cater to 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity needs by the end of the decade, Al Mazrouei was quoted as saying in the report.

Renewable energy projects, currently executed by Masdar, were important sources of power generation, he noted.