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A drone strike ignited a fire at the Barakah nuclear power complex in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — the first overseas nuclear plant built by South Korea. Officials said this is the first confirmed drone attack on Barakah since the outbreak of the war involving Iran.
According to Reuters and other outlets, the Abu Dhabi Media Office (ADMO) said on May 17 (local time) via social platform X (formerly Twitter) that emergency crews responded after a fire broke out at a generator located outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah site in the Al Dhafra area following a drone strike. The ADMO added there have been no reported injuries so far and radiation safety levels were not affected.
The UAE Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) said the plant’s critical systems remain in normal operation. South Korean staff working at the site were reported unharmed. Employees from Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and South Korean partner companies are currently present on site.
UAE authorities have not publicly identified the perpetrators. Some local employees have shifted to remote work, and officials say Iran is currently the most likely source of the attack.
Since the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran began on Feb. 28, the UAE has sustained more Iranian drone and missile strikes than any other country in the region — even more than Israel, one of the combatants. This is the first drone strike on the Barakah complex since the war began.
Iranian state outlets, including Mehr News Agency, posted a graphic on Telegram on March 22 listing 10 power plants in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait — naming locations, generation types and capacities — and warned they could be targeted. Barakah was among the facilities listed.
South Korea won the contract to build Barakah in December 2009. The plant, featuring Korea Electric Power Corporation’s next-generation APR1400 reactor design, is the Middle East’s first commercial nuclear power station constructed with South Korean technology. The four-unit complex began commercial operations with Unit 1 in 2021 and reached full commercial operation with Unit 4 in September 2024. With a combined capacity of 5,600 megawatts, Barakah supplies about 25% of the UAE’s electricity demand.
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