- A drone strike that disrupted external power to a nuclear reactor in the United Arab Emirates
- Reactor No 3 at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant lost off-site electricity supplies
- Experts noted that the incident demonstrated the growing challenge of defending critical infrastructure
A drone strike that disrupted external power to a nuclear reactor in the United Arab Emirates this week has renewed concerns about the vulnerability of civilian nuclear facilities during periods of regional instability.
Reactor No 3 at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant lost off-site electricity supplies for around 24 hours following the incident on Sunday (24 May), forcing operators to rely on emergency diesel generators to maintain cooling systems and reactor safety functions.
The UAE’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that three drones had targeted the site. Two were intercepted, while a third caused a fire near the four-reactor complex, which provides approximately a quarter of the country’s electricity generation.
Officials said the strike damaged an electrical generator ‘outside the inner perimeter’ of the site.
However, the incident has since prompted concern among nuclear safety specialists that infrastructure connected to the plant’s switch yard may have been affected.
The UAE’s nuclear regulator stated that no radioactive material was released and that safety systems functioned as intended. Although experts noted that the incident demonstrated the growing challenge of defending critical infrastructure against drone attacks.
The latest update provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency is that off-site power to Reactor No 3 had been restored, and ‘the reactor no longer needs emergency diesel generators for power’.
Continuous external power is essential for nuclear reactors because cooling systems must operate even when a reactor is shut down.
Backup diesel generators are designed to maintain those systems if external electricity supplies fail.
