‘Technical issue’ at Khor Mor field cuts Kurdistan electricity supply by 1,000 megawatts

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Electricity supply across the Kurdistan Region has dropped by 1,000 megawatts due to what the Ministry of Electricity described as a “technical issue” at the Khor Mor gas field, which was targeted by drone attacks in late November.

“We are informing electricity subscribers that gas supplies have decreased by 250 million cubic meters due to a technical issue at the Khor Mor gas field,” the ministry said in a statement, adding the issue has caused dropping electricity supply by 1,000 megawatts.

The ministry added that teams from the the electricity and natural resources ministries are working alongside Dana Gas personnel to resolve the issue and restore normal operations.

In late November, the strategically vital Khor Mor gas field came under drone attacks that struck the facility’s newest 65,000-barrel liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage tank, temporarily halting the flow of natural gas. The field generates nearly 80 percent of the Kurdistan Region’s electricity and supplies approximately 1,200 megawatts to areas in federal Iraq.

Following the November 26 attack, electricity supply across the Kurdistan Region dropped to around five hours per day. Full power restoration took more than 72 hours, as part of the 24-hour power supply from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) flagship Runaki project.

Runaki - “light” in Kurdish - is the KRG’s key project, which aims to provide uninterrupted electricity to residents across the Region.

Despite the restoration, electricity subscribers have continued to report intermittent power outages in recent weeks.

Khor Mor is the primary source of gas for electricity generation in the Kurdistan Region.

Located in the Chamchamal district of Sulaimani province, the field is operated by Pearl Petroleum, a consortium that includes UAE-based Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum.

The Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas infrastructure has been targeted dozens of times in recent years, with Kurdish authorities accusing militia factions formally affiliated with Iraq’s security forces but operating outside government control.