DUBAI, May 17: A drone strike triggered a fire at an external facility outside a nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, authorities in the United Arab Emirates said.
According to the Abu Dhabi Media Office, the blaze erupted in an external electrical generator located outside the perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra region.
Officials confirmed that no injuries were reported and said there was no impact on radiological safety levels. The UAE’s nuclear regulator also stated that the incident did not affect plant operations, adding that all units at the facility continue to function normally.
No group has claimed responsibility for the drone strike, and UAE authorities did not attribute the attack to any party. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not yet issued a comment on the incident.
Sunday’s strike marks the first reported targeting of the four-reactor Barakah facility since it became operational, highlighting rising regional tensions amid ongoing hostilities linked to the wider Iran conflict.
The $20 billion Barakah plant, developed with South Korean assistance, began operations in 2020 and is the first nuclear power facility on the Arabian Peninsula.
In recent years, nuclear infrastructure has increasingly been exposed to risks in conflict zones, including during Russia’s war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, tensions in the Gulf region have escalated, with repeated incidents reported near strategic maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping channel.
