Drone Strike on Khor Mor Gasfield Halts Production and Cuts Power Across Northern Iraq

A drone attack targeting the Khor Mor gasfield in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq triggered a fire at the facility and resulted in widespread power outages across the area, according to Iraqi and Kurdish officials. The incident occurred on Sunday night and disrupted energy supplies for more than 70 percent of the Kurdish region.

Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency, Sanad, verified video footage showing smoke and flames rising from the vicinity of the gasfield located in the Sulaimaniyah governorate. It remains unclear who was responsible for the strike or whether it is connected to the ongoing conflict between the United States and Israel against Iran.

Omid Ahmed, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Electricity, stated that the attack halted gas supply to power plants in several cities, including Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal, and Duhok, as reported by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA). He noted that the strike removed between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts of electricity generation from the grid.

According to Ahmed, the ministry plans to restore power to critical facilities such as hospitals and water treatment plants by operating hydroelectric power stations and other plants running on alternative fuels.

Peter Smith, Al Jazeera’s correspondent reporting from Baghdad, cited security sources stating that an explosive-laden drone struck the Khor Mor gas storage facility. This attack reduced the energy grid’s capacity by 70 to 80 percent.

This report was produced in the Europe Brief News newsroom.