A quarter of the UAE’s energy requirements will come from nuclear power by 2020, as the Gulf country decreases its reliance on hydrocarbons for power generation in the energy mix, according to the UAE’s Minister of Oil & Gas Mohammed bin Hamad al-Rumhy.

Speaking at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec 2013) in Abu Dhabi on 10 November, Al-Rumhy added that 65-67 per cent of domestic power would come from gas by the end of the decade, with the remainder generated from renewable sources, particularly solar.

As Abu Dhabi prepares to sign new joint ventures on its onshore oil and gas fields, the minister said he was looking forward to welcoming new international companies to the emirate.

“We have invested billions of dollars to upgrade oil and gas facilities and develop new challenging resources,” said Al-Rumhy in the conference’s opening address,

“[We are] bringing in new players through fair and transparent competition… we look forward to evaluate what those parties have to offer us,” he added.