Drone strike on Khor Mor field halts gas supply, triggers blackouts

BAGHDAD — A drone strike late Wednesday hit the Emirati-operated Khor Mor gas complex in the Kurdistan Region, igniting a major storage tank and cutting gas supplies to power plants, officials said, triggering widespread blackouts across Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

The Kurdistan Region’s natural resources and electricity authorities said that “at 11:30 pm, a drone attacked the Khor Mor gas field facility, cutting off all gas supplies to power plants.” Khor Mor, located between Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyah, supplies most of the Region’s power and is operated by a consortium including UAE-based Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum.

Regional electricity spokesperson Omed Ahmed said the shutdown caused the loss of 2,600 megawatts of electricity, disrupting about 80 percent of the grid. Power cuts were reported across many parts of the Kurdistan Region.

Kurdistan Regional Government officials framed the strike as part of a wider pattern of attacks on the Region’s energy infrastructure. Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff to KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, blamed armed groups he described as “the usual terrorists on the federal government’s payroll” and said the assault had “once again attacked our critical Khor Mor gas field, leading to blackouts in neighbourhoods across the Kurdistan Region.”

He said “electricity exports to the rest of Iraq — roughly 10% of the country’s entire generation — have also flatlined” and asked, “How many attacks must happen before the US government simply allows the KRG to purchase kinetic anti-drone equipment for us to defend our skies and critical infrastructure? The Iraqi government isn’t interested.”

Iraq’s Security Media Cell said the strike set fire to one of the main tanks at a “vital gas field” and caused no casualties. The statement said the attack directly threatened Iraqis’ interests and was a serious terrorist act aimed at obstructing efforts to consolidate security and economic stability, adding that it would have negative effects on the power system in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah and damage national energy resources. It said those behind the attack would face “firm” legal measures.

A local security source told AFP the attack “targeted gas storage tanks, causing a major explosion and large fire.” Authorities said they are coordinating with Dana Gas to assess the damage and restore operations.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The Joint Operations Command said the attack aimed at “hindering security and economic stability” in a country that has only recently begun to regain a sense of calm.

The latest strike comes months after a July wave of unclaimed drone attacks on energy infrastructure across the Kurdistan Region, when multiple oil fields and associated facilities were hit in a series of incidents that damaged installations and temporarily disrupted output. Kurdish officials at the time said the attacks were intended to undermine the Region’s economic lifeline and intimidate energy workers.

In the aftermath of the July attacks, the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Natural Resources condemned what it described as terrorist operations targeting vital oil fields and urged Baghdad and international partners to help protect energy installations.

The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan, which represents several international operators, said the strikes endangered staff and damaged infrastructure, noting that companies temporarily shut in volumes of production while they assessed the impact and strengthened security.

Khor Mor has been targeted several times in recent years by unclaimed Katyusha rocket and drone attacks. In April 2024, four Yemeni workers were killed in a drone strike on the facility. Earlier this year, other oil and gas sites in the Kurdistan Region also came under repeated drone fire.

This article has been updated

AFP contributed to this report