Kurdistan, Iraq, November 9 (ANI): A drone attack targeting the critical Khor Mor gas field in Iraq’s Sulaimaniyah governorate has triggered a major energy emergency, reducing electricity generation across the national grid by approximately 2.8 gigawatts (GW), Al Jazeera reported.
Citing Omid Ahmed, spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the network reported that the drone explosion forced an immediate disruption of gas supplies to power generation stations across the region.
According to Al Jazeera, the sudden shutdown of the Khor Mor field cut off fuel supplies to vital power facilities serving five major urban centers: Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok.
To prevent a total collapse of the regional electrical grid, authorities have initiated emergency protocols to safeguard critical public infrastructure, Al Jazeera reported.
“To prevent a complete blackout, the Ministry of Electricity is working, through the operation of hydroelectric power stations at the Dokan and Darbandikhan dams and stations that can be operated with other fuels, to provide electricity to sensitive and important sites such as hospitals and water stations,” Ahmed was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.
Earlier, a source familiar with the incident told Al Jazeera that gas production had been halted after an explosive drone struck the facility, which ranks among the largest gas fields in northern Iraq.
Kurdish security forces confirmed the drone strike on the energy installation, stating that no group had formally claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Al Jazeera. The network added that the full extent of the structural damage and whether the incident resulted in casualties remained under official assessment.
Al Jazeera noted that Khor Mor serves as the primary energy lifeline supplying thermal power stations across the Kurdistan region. The facility has repeatedly come under drone and rocket attacks in recent years, causing recurring power outages.
The strike on the energy hub coincided with high-level security talks between Kurdish authorities and Tehran, Al Jazeera reported.
The president of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government received an Iranian delegation to review cross-border security mechanisms and preserve stability in northern Iraq.
According to an official statement issued by the KRG presidency and cited by Al Jazeera, both sides emphasized the importance of regional coordination and stressed the “necessity of relying on dialogue, peaceful solutions, and diplomacy to address disputes and challenges.”
The KRG presidency added that the discussions included an extensive review of existing security agreements signed between Iran, Iraq and the Kurdish regional authorities. (ANI)
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