Drone attack sets Iraq's Khor Mor gas field ablaze, halting production and disrupting 2.8 GW of power

A drone attack has struck the Khor Mor gas field, one of the largest gas fields in Iraq's Kurdistan region. Production at the field has been halted after the attack.

Reuters reported that a drone struck a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage tank at the field in Sulaymaniyah province on Sunday. A fire broke out, and workers at the gas field were moved to safe shelter.

Two sources at the Kurdistan region's electricity ministry told Reuters that production was halted after a drone hit the field's LPG storage tank, and the fire it caused was still burning.

Two security sources said smoke was seen rising from the gas field.

The electricity ministry sources said workers were moved to shelters inside the facility after the attack.

Iraq's prime minister and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Ali al-Zaydi, said there were initially no reports of casualties from the attack.

In a joint statement, the Kurdistan region's ministries of natural resources and electricity described the attack as a 'terrorist attack'. The statement said the authorities concerned were working to minimise the impact of the attack. No one has yet claimed responsibility for it.

The gas field supplies gas to power plants in the region. The Kurdistan region's electricity ministry said in a statement that the attack had disrupted about 2.8 gigawatts of electricity production in the region.

Dana Gas, the joint operator of the field, halted operations at its main production facilities in July because of security threats and regional tensions. Production resumed a few days later.

Meanwhile, Iraq is among the countries worst affected by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping in the area remains disrupted, and navigation through the strait has not returned to normal because ships have come under attack.

Against the backdrop of rising military tension between Iran and the United States, Baghdad is trying to maintain a balance in its relations with both neighbours. During the conflict, however, Tehran attacked Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq.

On the other hand, early in the conflict, Iran-backed armed groups attacked Gulf neighbours.

The Kurdistan authorities said all concerned parties were working to limit the impact of the attack and bring the situation at the gas field under control. Nothing has yet been said about when the fire will be fully extinguished or when production will resume.