Drone hits nuclear power plant in UAE; fire causes no radiation leak

A fire broke out today in the outer area of a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the only one in the Arab world, after a drone strike. The attack caused no injuries and no radioactive leak, but highlighted the risk of reigniting the US-Israeli war with Iran, which is currently under a fragile ceasefire. News agencies reported the incident, citing local authorities.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, and the UAE did not accuse anyone. In recent days, however, it has blamed Iran for several drone and missile attacks as tensions rise again in the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime route for oil shipments that Iran continues to block. Before the ceasefire, Iran repeatedly attacked US and Israeli allies in the region with drones and missiles in retaliation for US and Israeli air strikes, including strikes on oil and energy infrastructure. But an attack on a nuclear power plant is a new development in the current war.

The UAE’s nuclear regulator said the fire had no impact on the plant’s safety. “All units are operating normally,” the regulator said on X.

However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the strike caused a fire in an electrical generator and that one reactor is now being powered by emergency diesel generators. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi expressed “deep concern” over the incident and stressed that military activities that threaten nuclear safety are unacceptable, the agency added.

The Barakah nuclear power plant, located in the west of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, was built by the UAE in cooperation with South Korean company KEPCO at a cost of around $20 billion (418 billion Kč) and was commissioned in 2020. Its four reactors can now meet a quarter of the UAE’s total energy consumption. It is the first and only nuclear power plant in the Arab world.

The UAE signed a strictly defined agreement with the United States in connection with the plant, pledging to forgo uranium enrichment and further processing of spent fuel in order to allay any concerns about the development of nuclear weapons. The country imports its uranium. This stands in contrast to Iran, whose nuclear programme is at the heart of the long-running dispute between Tehran, the US and Israel.