The UAE Ministry of Energy will start developing a federal electronic, interactive data base for mineral resources and mining industries (extractive and manufacturing) which includes a registry of operating companies in the sector, said a report.

The data will help the ministry to develop strategic indices for the available mineral resources, metal production rates, metal imports and exports and others, reported state news agency Wam, citing a senior ministry official.

The data base project will be implemented in two phases, stated Ahmed Al Kaabi, the assistant undersecretary for Oil, Gas and Mineral resources.

The first phase will cover extracting industries which will be completed during the current year, while the second phase will gather data for the manufacturing industries (ceramic, glass, tile, block, ready mix concrete and rockwool) and span from 2018 to 2021.

"There were 131 crushers and quarries until December 2016," said Al Kaabi citing statistics from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.