A new white paper by the Nuclear Energy Program Implementation Organization recommends to the government that nuclear energy would help meet the exponential growth in energy needs expected in the Emirates.

Local energy requirements are expected to grow by more than 160 percent by 2020, and nuclear energy offers the best viable alternative to meet the demand, the federal government announced in a white paper.

The Nuclear Energy Program Implementation Organization was created to further develop the program as recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah.

Abdullah also announced the appointment of Hamad Al Ka'abi as the special representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Nuclear Cooperation.

The study revealed that demand for electricity will increase to about 15,546 megawatts, and existing reserves of natural gas will be insufficient to meet the future demand.

The "Policy of the United Arab Emirates on the evaluation and potential development of peaceful nuclear energy" justifies nuclear energy as the most economic and environmentally friendly option, it said.