- Drone strikes hit the Khor Mor gas field, forcing an immediate shutdown.
- The supply to Kurdistan’s stations stopped, triggering blackouts.
- Officials expect a 3,000 MW drop in generation after attacks.
A drone strike led to the suspension of operations at the Khor Mor gas field, one of the largest gas fields in Iraqi Kurdistan, and caused major power outages in the northern region, field engineers and officials said Wednesday.
All gas supplies to power plants in the Kurdistan region were halted after the attack, the ministries of natural resources and electricity said in a joint statement.
Widespread power outages have affected large areas of the region, local officials said.
A 3,000 megawatt drop in electricity production is expected in Kurdistan after the attack, Kurdish Electricity Ministry spokesman Omed Ahmed said in a statement.
The attack, which hit field storage tanks, started a fire and injured some workers, security sources said.
Fire crews were still working to contain the blaze, and a field engineer said it would take two to three days to repair damage to the main liquid-gas storage facility.
“A drone hit a central gas storage in the field causing extensive damage and a fire is still burning,” a worker told Reuters from the shelter where staff had taken cover amid fears of further attacks.
Two videos broadcast by Kurdish broadcaster Rudaw den X showed smoke billowing from the site and a partial blackout in the city of Erbil after the drone strike.
Teams from both ministries and UAE energy company Dana Gas, one of the field’s operators, are on the scene to investigate the incident, they said in the joint statement.
The Pearl Consortium, which includes Dana Gas and its affiliate Crescent Petroleum, has the rights to develop the Khor Mor field.
The Iraqi Security Media Cell, an official body responsible for disseminating security information, said the field was hit by a “treacherous terror” attack that set fire to a main storage tank but caused no casualties.
It said the strike would worsen power shortages in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah and that authorities would pursue those responsible.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.
This is the second drone strike to target the field in several days, as Iraqi Kurdish security forces opened fire on a drone to prevent it from reaching the field late Sunday.
