The government may turn to nuclear power stations to reduce dependence on oil, a junior minister said today amid current high oil prices.

In the past, Malaysia had repeatedly said that it would not embrace nuclear power for its energy needs.

"Current resources are sufficient. But the government is not totally rejecting the use of that (nuclear) technology," Shaziman Abu Mansor, deputy energy, water and communications minister, was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

Malaysia is an oil-exporting country.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last month said the era of "cheap oil" was over and the world now faces an energy crisis as emerging economies and developed nations compete for scarce resources.

Shaziman said the government would conduct studies on wind power and promoting the use of solar energy.

Under a fuel diversification policy which started in 1981, Malaysia had promoted the use of natural gas to reduce dependence on oil. Coal and hydro-power are the other main sources of power.