Production fully restored at Khor Mor after attack: Dana Gas

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Dana Gas on Friday announced that production at the Kurdistan Region’s Khor Mor gas field has been fully restored, a week after a deadly drone strike that killed four Yemeni workers.

“Dana Gas (PJSC) announces that production at the Khor Mor facility in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has been restored to normal levels following the recent attack,” read a statement from the UAE-based company.

“The resumption of operations follows decisive actions by the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government as well as further firm commitments to significantly enhance security and strengthen defences at the Khor Mor site,” it added.

A drone strike on the Khor Mor gas field last Friday killed four Yemeni nationals and injured several others who were repairing a condensate storage tank that had been damaged in a previous attack. Located in Sulaimani province, Khor Mor is a key source of fuel for the Kurdistan Region’s power plants.

Two days after the attack, Dana Gas announced that it had temporarily suspended production at the field.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) described the strike as a “terrorist” attack and called on the federal government to take action to stop such assaults.

KRG Electricity Minister Kamal Mohammad Salih on Thursday told reporters that Baghdad is responsible for providing aerial protection of Khor Mor. “The KRG has not failed to provide ground protection, but when it comes to aerial protection, that is the responsibility of the federal government,” Salih said.

However, the Iraqi oil minister said it is not their responsibility to protect the field. “Khor Mor is under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government and it is their responsibility to protect it,” Hayyan Abdul Ghani told reporters in Baghdad on Thursday.

The field has come under attack multiple times, largely blamed on Iraqi militias affiliated with Iran taking advantage of the site’s strategic and economic importance for the Kurdistan Region. The attacks have caused major power disruptions and hindered expansion projects at the site. 

Production at the field exceeds 500 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, according to Dana Gas. Last week’s strike shut down some two-thirds of the Region’s electricity generation. A drone attack in January similarly brought work at the field to a halt.