Al-Sulaymaniyah struggles under dwindling gas supplies

Al-Sulaymaniyah struggles under dwindling gas supplies
2026-03-28T14:32:01+00:00

Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

Gas shortages in Al-Sulaymaniyah have tightened as production at the Khor Mor field remains largely halted, leaving households struggling to secure supplies, a Kurdish official told Shafaq News on Saturday.

According to Kochar Taher, a representative of the Gas Distribution Agency, the drop in local production since the outbreak of war has widened the gap between supply and demand, worsening shortages across the market. He explained that the province typically requires about 250,000 tons of household gas under normal conditions, but current supplies fall well below that level due to the suspension of output from the Khor Mor gas field, which previously covered much of Al-Sulaymaniyah’s needs.

“Demand has surged with colder weather,” Taher noted, adding that Al-Sulaymaniyah requires between 13,000 and 15,000 gas cylinders per day.

Turning to supply efforts, he recalled that Baghdad had previously stepped in to provide gas during earlier disruptions at Khor Mor, adding that no such shipments have been recorded since the outbreak of war, further urging authorities to take swift action to address the shortage.

Some residents have turned to fuel stations to refill gas cylinders, where prices have climbed to about 25,000 Iraqi dinars (around $19) per cylinder. Resident Hawari Beshro relayed to Shafaq News that the shortage —coinciding with major occasions such as Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Nowruz, when household expenses typically rise— has further strained living conditions for many families.

Read more: Iraq's energy vulnerability: When a petro-state has no buffer

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