A drone strike sparked a fire near a nuclear power station in the emirate of Abu Dhabi on Sunday, officials said, adding that no injuries were reported and the impact on radiation levels remained unaffected. The Abu Dhabi Media Office said that officials responded to the incident that occurred in an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra Region, caused by a “drone strike”.
The plant, which began operations in 2020, is located about 200 kilometres west of Abu Dhabi near the borders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. According to the state-owned Emirates Nuclear Energy Company, it supplies as much as a quarter of the UAE’s electricity requirements.
“No injuries were reported, and there was no impact on radiological safety levels,” the media office confirmed. “All precautionary measures have been taken, and further updates will be provided as they become available. The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) confirmed that the fire did not affect the safety of the power plant or the readiness of its essential systems, and that all units are operating as normal,” it added.
In response to the drone strike, Rafael Grossi, head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, condemned the incident. The International Atomic Energy Agency said on X that Grossi “expresses grave concern about the incident and says military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable”.
UAE nuclear plant after Iran
The United Arab Emirates was the second country in the region to establish a nuclear power plant after Iran and the first in the Arab world. While authorities did not specify where the drone was launched from, the UAE has recently accused Iran of being behind attacks on its energy and economic infrastructure.
Tehran continuously launched retaliatory attacks across the region after the United States and Israel hit Iran on February 28, killing senior leaders and triggering a broader war. In response, Iran has accused the UAE and other US allies in the Gulf region of allowing US forces to launch attacks from their territory.
Over the Iran accusation, the UAE has angrily refuted the Iranian claim of actively launching attacks of its own. On April 8 of this year, Washington and Tehran agreed to a truce, but peace negotiations have been hampered and sporadic attacks have continued.( _WION_ )
