As a source of secure energy in the future, nuclear power was unsuitable because uranium was probably the fuel with the most limited availability and Germany would very quickly become completely dependent on imports, Gabriel told a news conference here.

The Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute has reignited the debate about the future of nuclear energy in Germany, with members of the conservative CSU party suggesting that the decision by the previous administration under Gerhard Schroeder to phase out nuclear energy and close down nuclear power stations should be postponed or set back.

Economy Minister Michael Glos, a top CSU politician, suggested that Germany should focus on sources of energy that were readily available within its own borders, explicitly mentioning nuclear energy.

But Gabriel was dismissive of suggestions that nuclear power was a viable and secure source of energy in the long term.

"No one wanting to draw up sensible energy policy could imagine investing billions of euros (dollars) in an energy source that will be exhausted within a generation," he said.

And Gabriel pointed out that nuclear power could be used to generate only electricity and not heat as well.

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