Drone attack halts Iraq's Khor Mor gas field, cutting about 2,800 MW of Kurdistan's power
A drone struck a liquefied petroleum gas storage tank at the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq's Kurdistan region late on Sunday, setting it ablaze and halting production at one of the region's largest gas fields. The shutdown cut gas supplies to five power stations and will cut electricity generation by about 2,800 megawatts — roughly two-thirds of the region's normal power — the Kurdistan region's electricity ministry said. Iraq's prime minister said an initial assessment found no casualties and ordered a joint investigation. No group has claimed responsibility.
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Key points
- A drone hit an LPG storage tank at Khor Mor at about 11pm on Sunday; production was suspended and staff were moved to shelters.
- Gas to five power stations was cut; generation is expected to fall by 2,500–2,800 MW, about two-thirds of the region's normal power.
- Iraq's prime minister said an initial assessment found no casualties and ordered a joint investigation with the Kurdistan region.
- No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
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What happened
Khor Mor is one of the largest gas fields in Iraq's Kurdistan region, in Chamchamal district of Sulaymaniyah governorate. Its gas does not go to export markets; it feeds the region's own power stations, which is why a single strike late on Sunday turned within hours into a power emergency, with the electricity ministry working to keep hospitals, water stations and other vital sites supplied from hydro dams and other fuels.
The field has been struck repeatedly in recent years, and its operator closed its main facilities briefly in July over security threats. Sunday's shutdown is the most damaging yet to the region's electricity supply: on the ministry's figures, about two-thirds of normal generation depends on the gas that has now stopped.
Claim by claim
Why this label: Reuters reported the strike from two electricity-ministry sources and an engineer at the field; AFP's account via Kurdish authorities agrees on the time, the target and the shutdown.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The ministries' own statement and figures, carried by Reuters, AFP and Al Jazeera. The megawatt figures are the ministry's; the range reflects the estimates its sources gave as the response began.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The prime minister's office statement as reported on Monday morning. 'No casualties' is an initial assessment and could change as the site is fully checked.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Show all claims (2 more)
Why this label: The field's operator, output and attack history as reported by Reuters and AFP in Sunday's coverage and in reporting of the earlier attacks.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Reuters and AFP both report no claim of responsibility. The suspicion recorded here is early reporting's, not a finding; it is carried so readers can see what is being said and what has not been shown.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- A drone hit an LPG storage tank at Khor Mor at about 11pm on Sunday; production is halted and staff were sheltered.
- Generation is expected to fall by about 2,800 MW — roughly two-thirds of the region's normal power.
- Baghdad's initial assessment reports no casualties, and a joint investigation has been ordered.
What we don't know yet
- Who carried out the attack — no group has claimed responsibility and no evidence has been published.
- How badly the field is damaged, and when production and full power can resume.
- Whether the initial no-casualties assessment holds once the site has been fully checked.
Why it matters
Two-thirds of a region's electricity is not a local outage: hospitals, water pumping and homes across Iraqi Kurdistan depend on Khor Mor's gas, and full power cannot return until the field restarts, not merely until one tank is repaired. The attack also lands on Iraq's most sensitive seam — Baghdad, the Kurdistan region and the wider Iran war meeting at a single gas field — on the same weekend Baghdad was describing new understandings with Washington over its energy exports.
Background
A drone strike on Khor Mor kills four Yemeni workers at the field.
The operator shuts the field's main production facilities over security threats and regional tensions, restarting later that month.
A drone hits an LPG storage tank at the field; production is suspended and gas supplies to five power stations are cut.
Update history
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- Latest
Published in Checking state — the field is shut, the damage and the power loss are still being assessed, and claims are labelled as reporting develops.