Drone sighting triggers sirens at Sulaimani’s key gas field: Sources

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The situation at the Khor Mor gas field in Sulaimani province eased early Monday after sirens blared through the night when two drones were detected over the site, sources told Rudaw.

"Drones were spotted in the sky over Khor Mor twice today [late Sunday]... Therefore, sirens were activated, but so far, no attack has occurred," a security source told Rudaw early Monday.

A fuel tanker driver inside the Khor Mor facility also told Rudaw on the condition of anonymity that operations remained calm despite the alarms. “We were inside the gas field loading fuel; only the warning siren sounded. Otherwise, we did not hear any explosions or anything else,” he said.

Authorities and the operating firm have yet to comment on the incident.

Located in Chamchamal district, Khor Mor gas field is operated by Pearl Petroleum, a consortium that includes UAE-based Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum. The field has come under numerous Katyusha and drone attacks in recent years, and the Kurdish authorities have blamed Iran-backed militia groups.

A drone on the field in April last year killed four Yemeni nationals, temporarily suspending production and disrupting electricity across the Kurdistan Region.

The gas produced at the field is a key fuel source for electricity generation plants in the Kurdistan Region.

Crescent Petroleum CEO Majid Jafar said earlier this month the giant Emirati energy firm has achieved a major milestone with the launch of the Khor Mor 250 (KM250) project, boosting natural gas production capacity in the Kurdistan Region by 50 percent - more than 700 million cubic feet per day.

“It's a pride for us, but it is a pride for Kurdistan, and it's a pride really for all of Iraq because, actually, it's hugely beneficial, of course, for the electricity situation within the Kurdistan Region, but also for other parts of Iraq,” Jafar told Rudaw on November 6.

Crescent Petroleum and its affiliate Dana Gas signed an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in 2007 to develop its gas resources. The Khor Mor field has since become the cornerstone of those efforts, supplying gas for power generation across much of the Region. The $1.1 billion project was delivered eight months ahead of schedule and adds 250 million standard cubic feet per day.

In mid-October, Dana Gas began sales from the expansion project. The expansion supports the KRG’s “Runaki” (Light) initiative, which aims to provide uninterrupted electricity to residents of the Kurdistan Region.