The regional electricity ministry plans backup power for hospitals and water treatment plants after the 8 November strike removed 2,500–2,800 megawatts of generation, its spokesperson said.
More than 70% of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region was left without power after a drone attack on the Khor Mor gas field on 8 November, Iraqi and Kurdish officials said. The attack caused a fire at the field in Sulaimaniyah governorate’s Chamchamal district.
The field’s operators, Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum, say its gas fuels more than 80% of the region’s electricity generation. A previous drone strike on 26 November 2025 hit a storage tank, causing a fire and stopping gas production. Ahmed said at the time that it cut about 2,600 megawatts of generation.
According to 964media, Dana Gas suspended production from 28 February to mid-April 2026 after the US-Israeli war with Iran began, and again in July, citing security threats. The July suspension cost the region 2,500 megawatts of generation.
Omid Ahmed, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s electricity ministry, said gas deliveries stopped to power plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok. The strike removed 2,500–2,800 megawatts of generation from the grid, he said.
Ahmed said the ministry would use hydroelectric stations and plants running on alternative fuels to supply hospitals and water treatment plants. He told 964media that the ministry was trying to avoid a region-wide blackout, cutting power first to places it considered not to need it and treating household cuts as a last resort.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said an initial assessment found no casualties and ordered a joint investigative committee with Kurdish regional authorities. Responsibility for the attack, and any connection to the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, remain unclear.
A separate source at the field told 964media that there was substantial damage, but its extent was unclear.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty inaugurated the historic building on 7 November 2026, after a security-related closure. Official work was scheduled to begin on 8 November 2026.
A field source told 964media that pipelines would be inspected once the fire was out. The source said production would remain halted for repairs if the damage was extensive, but the field would restart if the damage was limited.
A source at the facility told Shafaq News that gas production and exports had stopped completely after the attack.
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