A rocket attack struck a liquid storage tank at Iraq’s Khor Mor gas field, one of the largest in the Kurdistan region, forcing a halt in production and causing major power cuts across northern Iraq, joint field operator Dana Gas confirmed on Thursday, November 27, as reported by Reuters.
The attack, which occurred late on Wednesday and caused no casualties, impacted the facility responsible for supplying natural gas for regional power generation but did not affect oil production or exports. Moreover, the attack hit a liquid storage tank that is part of new facilities partially financed by the US and built by a US contractor.
Though firefighters managed to extinguish the resulting fire in the early hours of Thursday, the halt in natural gas supplies had already caused major power outages. Kurdish electricity ministry spokesperson Omed Ahmed stated that a significant drop of 3,000 megawatts in power generation was expected in the Kurdistan region. However, the attack did not affect oil production or exports.
The incident marks the most significant attack since a series of drone attacks in July cut the region’s oil production by approximately 150,000 barrels per day (bbl/d). Local officials often point to Iran-backed militias as the likely source of such attacks, acting against US interests in the region.
Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Iraqi Prime Minister, condemned the attack as “an attack on all of Iraq” during a phone call with Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. The two leaders agreed to form a joint investigative committee to identify those responsible.
The Pearl Consortium, which develops operations in the field, includes Dana Gas and its affiliate Crescent Petroleum. The Pearl Consortium said in October that the new facilities in the field were installed as part of the KM250 project and boosted the field’s production capacity by 50%. However, Dana Gas shares fell 1.5% on Thursday following the strike.
