Ministry promises return to previous levels
Power stations yet to resume normal operations in the Kurdistan Region
ERBIL — Three power stations in the Kurdistan Region were not fully operational yet on Thursday, nearly one week since a deadly drone attack on the Khor Mor gas field had cut electricity to the region’s cities and towns.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Electricity announced on May 1 that “all three power stations in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Bazian [would] resume operation,” restoring electricity supply to previous levels.
The ministry also stated via a post to its official Facebook page that gas supplies from the Khor Mor gas field to power stations had resumed on April 30, although providing just 270 million cu. ft. out of the 520 million cu.ft. required, representing nearly half of the stations’ capacity.
An April 26 suicide drone attack struck the Khor Mor gas field in Sulaymaniyah’s Chamchamal district, killing four Yemeni workers and injuring three others. The attack caused a significant drop in power supply to the region, cutting 2,500 megawatts of electricity across the Kurdistan Region. Authorities managed to partially compensate by securing 1,600 megawatts from alternative sources.
Erbil’s gas power plant partially resumed operations early on May 1, however, a source at the station told 964media: “The station has not yet returned to normal operations, with two units still offline due to the low gas pressure from Khor Mor.”
The Khor Mor gas plant, established in 2007, is a critical natural gas production site operated by UAE-based Dana Gas. The gas field typically generates 4,200 megawatts of electricity daily, with 2,800 megawatts serving the Kurdistan Region and 1,400 megawatts distributed to neighboring Kirkuk and Mosul governorates.
The Erbil gas power station is located near the village of Pir Dawood, in western Erbil. Under normal circumstances, seven out of the site’s eight units are operational, generating 700 megawatts of electricity. However, at the time of reporting, the power station was generating just 500 megawatts.
Umed Ahmed, spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity, told 964media that authorities were working to restore normal operations.
According to a previous statement by Ahmed, the Kurdistan Region has capacity to produce nearly 7,000 megawatts of electricity. But even before the attack on Khor Mor, the region was generating between 3,500 to 4,000 megawatts, primarily due to an existing shortage of gas.