A drone attack on Iraq’s Khor Mor gas field in the Kurdistan region on Sunday forced a halt to production, triggered a fire at an LPG storage tank and disrupted nearly 2.8 gigawatts of electricity generation, according to regional officials and security sources.
Two sources, quoted in a report by Reuters, at the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Electricity said a single drone struck an LPG storage tank at the facility, setting it ablaze. The fire was still raging following the attack, while smoke was seen rising from the site in Sulaymaniyah Governorate.
Employees were evacuated to shelters inside the facility, the sources said.
Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali al-Zaidi said an initial assessment indicated that the attack had caused no casualties.
In a joint statement, the Kurdistan Region’s ministries of Natural Resources and Electricity described the incident as a “terrorist attack,” saying they were working to minimize its impact.
Omid Ahmed, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Electricity, said the attack suspended gas supply to power plants in the cities of Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
He added that the ministry would provide electricity to critical facilities, such as hospitals and water treatment plants, by operating hydroelectric power stations and other plants that run on alternative fuel.
The regional Ministry of Electricity said the attack had resulted in the loss of nearly 2.8 gigawatts of power generation.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Khor Mor gas field is located in Chamchamal district in Sulaymaniyah province and is one of the most important gas sources for power plants in Iraq's Kurdistan region. The field has been targeted repeatedly by rocket and drone attacks in recent years.
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