Drone attack halts production at Iraq's Khor Mor gasfield

A drone struck the Khor Mor gasfield in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on Sunday night, according to Iraqi and Kurdish officials. The attack started a fire at the facility and cut electricity across the region, leaving more than 70 percent of it without power.

It is not clear who was responsible, or whether the attack was linked to the United States and Israel's war on Iran. Sanad, the fact-checking agency of Al Jazeera, has verified footage showing smoke and flames near the gasfield in Sulaimaniyah governorate.

Impact on power supply

Omid Ahmed, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity of the Kurdistan Regional Government, said gas supplies to power plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok were suspended, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported. Between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts of generation were knocked off the grid.

The ministry plans to supply electricity to critical facilities such as hospitals and water treatment plants by running hydroelectric stations and other plants that use alternative fuel.

Al Jazeera's Peter Smith, reporting from Baghdad, cited security sources as saying an explosive-laden drone hit the Khor Mor gas storage facility, cutting the grid's capacity by 70 to 80 percent.

Investigation

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said an initial assessment showed no casualties, according to INA. He also ordered a joint investigative committee to be set up with the relevant authorities in the Kurdish region to examine the circumstances of the attack.

The attack comes amid heightened regional tensions. A drone strike hit the same facility last year, and no group claimed responsibility.