Husayen said: “The kingdom is working on building a pilot plant fuelled by nuclear energy” to generate electricity.
Already, Saudi Arabia faces costly power outages of up to five hours a day in the industrial zone of the commercial hub of Jeddah.
The United Arab Emirates expects to have its first nuclear power plant producing electricity in 2015, even though it would take up to 15 years before any plant is ready.
In July 2009, Gulf countries have taken a step to move forward on easing regional power shortages by linking up their electricity grids.
Programmes on civilian nuclear power are also being explored by various Gulf oil exporting countries, as it is seen as a long term solution to high fuel costs and a way to decrease carbon emissions from the electricity generation sector.
Kuwait is also planning to develop nuclear power to meet demand for electricity and desalination.
