A drone strike triggered a fire near the United Arab Emirates’ Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Region on Sunday (17), authorities said, marking the first publicly reported direct hit on UAE nuclear infrastructure.
The Abu Dhabi Media Office said authorities responded to a fire that broke out in an electrical generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter, caused by a drone strike. “No injuries were reported, and there was no impact on radiological safety levels,” the office said on social media, adding that all precautionary measures had been taken.
The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) confirmed the fire did not affect the plant’s safety or the readiness of essential systems, and that all units were operating normally.
Barakah began operations in 2020 and sits about 200km west of Abu Dhabi, near the borders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It supplies up to a quarter of the UAE’s electricity, according to operator Emirates Nuclear Energy Company. The UAE was the first Arab state to operate a nuclear power plant.
The Emirates did not say where the drone was launched from, but has repeatedly accused Iran of being behind recent attacks on its energy infrastructure — including the Wall Street Journal-reported Lavan Island refinery operation framing the UAE as a direct combatant. Iran in turn has accused the UAE of joining the war alongside the US and Israel.
Washington and Tehran agreed a truce on April 8 after a brief but intense war, but peace negotiations have stalled and sporadic attacks have continued across the Gulf. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry has previously expressed concern over Middle East escalation given the UAE’s role as a major diaspora-remittance and Gulf-carrier transit hub.
