Drone strike on Iraq's Khor Mor gas field cuts power production by 2.8 GW: Ministry

Kurdistan, Iraq: A drone attack targeting the critical Khor Mor gas field in the Sulaimaniyah governorate of Iraqi Kurdistan has triggered a major energy emergency, slashing electricity generation across the national grid by approximately 2.8 gigawatts (GW) it was reported late on Sunday (Nov. 8).

Multiple news organizations, including Reuters, Anadolu Agency and Rudaw, have reported the drone strike and the resulting loss of approximately 2,800 megawatts (2.8 GW) of electricity generation capacity in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.

Omid Ahmed, spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the network reported that the drone explosion forced an immediate disruption of gas supplies to power generation stations across the region.

The 2.8 GW figure refers to electricity-generating capacity taken offline, not damage to power stations themselves.

According to Reuters, the shutdown of the Khor Mor field cut off fuel to vital power facilities serving five major urban centres: Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal, and Duhok.

To prevent a total collapse of the regional electrical grid, authorities have initiated emergency protocols to safeguard critical public infrastructure.

"To prevent a complete blackout, the Ministry of Electricity is working, through the operation of hydroelectric power stations at the Dokan and Darbandikhan dams and stations that can be operated with other fuels, to provide electricity to sensitive and important sites such as hospitals and water stations," Ahmed was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

Earlier, gas production was halted after an explosive drone slammed into the facility, which ranks as one of the largest gas fields in northern Iraq, per media reports.

Kurdish security forces confirmed the drone strike on the energy installation, stating that no group has formally claimed responsibility for the assault.

The network added that the full extent of structural damage and whether the incident resulted in casualties remain under official assessment.

Khor Mor serves as the primary energy lifeline feeding thermal power stations across the Kurdistan region and has repeatedly come under drone and rocket fire in recent years, causing recurrent blackouts.

The strike on the energy hub coincided with high-level security talks between Kurdish authorities and Tehran, Al Jazeera reported.

The President of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) received an Iranian delegation to review cross-border security mechanisms and preserve stability in northern Iraq.

According to an official statement issued by the KRG presidency, both sides underlined the imperative of regional coordination and stressed the "necessity of relying on dialogue, peaceful solutions, and diplomacy to address disputes and challenges."

The KRG presidency added that the discussions extensively reviewed existing security agreements signed between Iran, Iraq, and the Kurdish regional authorities.