UAE Drone Attack: No Radiation Leak at Barakah Nuclear Power Plant – What You Need to Know
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Plant operates on a reactor model developed by Korea Electric Power Corporation
A drone strike set a fire at the Barakah nuclear power plant complex in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but officials say there was no radioactive release and no injuries. Authorities also reported that all South Korean staff on site are safe.
On May 17 (local time), the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office said a drone struck external generator equipment outside the plant’s inner security perimeter in the Al Dhafra area, prompting an emergency response. The UAE Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) said the plant’s safety-critical systems remained operational and radiation levels were within normal limits.
Officials confirmed employees from Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), and local contractor firms were working on site and were not injured. A KEPCO spokesperson said the plant’s reactor units sustained no damage and that the fire appeared confined to peripheral power equipment.
The spokesperson added that one reactor was temporarily shut down as a precaution after the incident. Some local staff have switched to remote work.
UAE authorities have not identified who was behind the drone attack.
The Barakah plant was built to KEPCO’s domestically developed APR1400 reactor design and is the Middle East’s first commercial nuclear power station. Since KEPCO won the contract in 2009, all four units entered commercial operation by April 2024 and now supply about 25% of the UAE’s total electricity demand.
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