Drone strike halts Khor Mor gas output, cuts 2.8GW from Kurdistan grid

Summary

• A suspected drone attack on the Khor Mor gasfield suspended production and triggered blackouts across Iraqi Kurdistan.
• Operator Dana Gas told the Abu Dhabi exchange output remains halted; a fire was extinguished with no injuries.
• Power generation falls by up to 2.8GW, forcing rationed supply to hospitals, water stations and households.

The latest

Production at the Khor Mor gasfield in Sulaymaniyah province remains suspended after a suspected drone attack overnight Sunday-Monday knocked out as much as 2.8GW of generation and plunged much of Iraqi Kurdistan into darkness. The Kurdistan Region's Electricity and Natural Resources Ministries called it a terrorist attack and said no group had claimed responsibility. Operator Dana Gas said a resulting fire was extinguished.

Details

• The operator: Dana Gas, listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and based in Sharjah, confirmed in a Monday filing that production at Khor Mor was still suspended. The company said the strike caused a fire that was put out, that no personnel were injured, and that a damage assessment was still under way.
• The power loss: Omed Ahmed, spokesman for the Kurdistan Region's Electricity Ministry, said generation on the national grid would fall by between 2.5GW and 2.8GW because of the attack and the halt to gas supplies feeding power stations. The field's gas flows directly into the region's main generating capacity.
• The rationing: To avoid a complete blackout, the Electricity Ministry said it was prioritising hospitals and water stations, supplying them from hydropower stations and fuel-powered plants. The ministry did not say how long the emergency arrangement could be sustained or when normal supply would resume.
• Baghdad's response: Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi and Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met in Baghdad on Monday and stressed the importance of protecting oil facilities. Mr Al Zaidi ordered a joint investigation committee with Kurdish authorities, and federal security officials visited the site on Monday morning.
• The investigation: Sabah Al Numan, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said on Tuesday that a high-level security committee had been formed on the prime minister's orders, supervised by the commander-in-chief's office in coordination with the Kurdistan Region to identify those responsible. He set no timeline for its findings.
• Protection measures: Mr Al Numan said steps were being taken to strengthen protection of vital and oil installations and to pursue those involved in targeting Khor Mor. He did not detail what additional forces or systems would be deployed.
• Not the first: Khor Mor has been struck repeatedly during the Iran war. Iraqi Kurdish authorities have accused Tehran-backed militia groups of seeking to destabilise the region's gas sector. A November 2025 attack also halted production and caused power cuts across the region.
• July shutdown: Dana Gas shut its main production sites at Khor Mor for a period in July, citing credible security threats. The company has not said whether the latest suspension will be open-ended or tied to the outcome of the damage assessment now in progress.

Background

Khor Mor is the main gas source for Kurdistan's power stations, making the field a single point of failure for regional electricity. Repeated strikes during the Iran war have turned it into a recurring flashpoint between Erbil and groups Kurdish officials say are backed by Tehran.

Between the lines

Putting the commander-in-chief's office over the investigation, rather than leaving it to regional authorities, signals Baghdad treating the strike as a national security matter and not a local one. That framing matters because Kurdish officials have previously pointed at Tehran-backed militias, an accusation the federal government has not endorsed. With no claim of responsibility, attribution remains the committee's central question.

What's next

Watch for Dana Gas to publish its damage assessment and a restart timeline, the security committee's findings on who carried out the strike, and whether the Electricity Ministry can hold hospital and water supply through extended rationing.

Source: The National, INA (Iraqi News Agency)