DUBAI: The UAE’s only nuclear power plant is “well-protected” against security threats, the regulator said on Wednesday, following a series of unprecedented drone and missile attacks on the Gulf state.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have claimed three drone and missile assaults on the UAE this year.

“The nuclear power plant is designed according to high security principles and we have issued regulations for physical and cybersecurity,” Christer Viktorsson, director general of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, said.

“The sensitive parts of the power plant are well protected for any event,” he told reporters.

The UAE overall has “robust security,” he added.

The plant in Abu Dhabi, one of the UAE’s seven emirates and the nation’s capital, is the Arab world’s first nuclear power station and part of the oil producer’s aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Barakah will have four reactors with 5,600 megawatts of total capacity — equivalent to 25 percent of the UAE’s needs.

The first unit began delivering 1400 MW to the national grid in April 2021.

Unit 2, which was licensed to operate in March 2021, is undergoing testing and expected to contribute 1400 MW to the national grid soon, Viktorsson said.

FANR expects to issue Unit 3’s operating license later this year, once plant operator Nawah Energy demonstrates regulatory requirements are met.

Nawah can then start an 8-9 month testing phase followed by national grid connection.

Reuters