Drone attack suspends operations at major Iraq gas field, power cuts occur across Kurdish region
A drone attack on the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq causes major power outages in northern regions, damaging key infrastructure and halting gas supplies to power stations. Authorities are investigating.A drone attack prompted the suspension of operations at the Khor Mor Oil and Gas field, one of the largest in Iraqi Kurdistan, and caused major power cuts across the northern region, field engineers and officials said on Wednesday.All gas supplies to power stations in the Kurdistan region were halted following the attack, the Natural Resources and Electricity ministries said in a joint statement.Widespread power outages have affected large areas of the region, local officials said.A drop of 3,000 megawatts in power generation is expected in Kurdistan after the attack, according to a statement from the Kurdish electricity ministry spokesperson, Omed Ahmed.This would result in an 80% reduction, Kurdish outlet Rudaw clarified.A fire blazes at Khor Mor Oil and Gas field following a drone strike, November 26, 2025. (credit: SCREENSHOT/X/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)The strike, which hit field storage tanks, started a fire and wounded some workers, security sources said.Firefighting teams worked 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 depot."A drone struck a key gas storage facility at the field, causing extensive damage, and a fire is still burning," a worker told Reuters from the field shelter where staff had taken cover amid fears of further attacks.Two videos posted by Rudaw on X/Twitter showed smoke billowing from the site and a partial blackout in the city of Erbil after the drone attack.Teams from both ministries and the United Arab Emirates' energy firm Dana Gas, one of the field's operators, are on site investigating the incident, they said in the joint statement.The Pearl Consortium, which includes Dana Gas and its affiliate Crescent Petroleum, holds the rights to develop the Khor Mor field.The Security Media Cell, a Baghdad Federal Government body responsible for disseminating security information, said the field was hit in a "treacherous terrorist" attack that set fire to a main storage tank but caused no casualties.The incident also "poses a direct threat to the interests of Iraqis," the body added.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.Prime Minister of the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, reacted on X, saying that he condemns the "cowardly attack," and that the "usual terrorists or whoever may be behind tonight’s attacks cannot be allowed to repeat these crimes or be released on bail, as in the past."Barzani also urged "American and international partners to provide the defensive equipment necessary to protect our civilian infrastructure, and to support us in taking serious action to deter these attacks on our people and our progress."This is the second drone attack that has targeted the field in days, as Iraqi Kurdish security forces opened fire at a drone to prevent it from reaching the field late on Sunday.
