Abu Dhabi, he suggested, could burn diesel instead of natural gas, which can be supplied to the northern emirates. "By doing this we can save energy which is going waste. It constitutes best use of natural resources," he said. He said that recommendations have been made to the Ministry of Petroleum, twice highlighting the significance of energy swap. "There has been no action till now," he said, adding that everything is in place, including the pipeline networks, and "all that is needed is a go-ahead signal. The opportunity for integrated pipelines came up three years ago: we must exploit it to the fullest." Elaborating the idea, Khalid Al Awadi said that the integrated pipelines would have a single owner or holding company, to be set up after forming a gas pipeline owners' union, who will sort out issues of gas transportation, its regulations, and cross-border tariffs among federating units. "There is urgent need for a gas law in the country, in this connection, on the lines of Europe where different companies are selling the same commodity like electricity," he said. At present, he said that there are different regulations at the Emirate level, which are stumbling blocks in the way of energy transportation. At the moment, the UAE is facing a net shortage of 1.5bn cuft/d of gas, and the demand of 5.4bn cuft/d is growing at an annual rate of 10-13%. The currently deficit, Mr Al Awadi said, was being met through consuming expensive diesel, as a consequence of which there is an increasingly-high cost of gas, which is being supplied from Iran or Qatar. For alternative means of fuels, he said nuclear energy can fill the gap, but will take many years to come on line. There is need to have an integrated pipelines network, for a cost-effective, reliable and efficient supply of gas across the country. "We have three pipeline networks in the country transporting gas to their customers in their respective Emirates – if these pipelines are interconnected at national level this can result in tremendous economic benefits," said Khalid.