Drone strike on Khor Mor cuts major electricity supplies across Kurdistan and Nineveh

Shafaq News – Duhok / Erbil / Nineveh (Updated at 14:58)

Large parts of the Kurdistan Region and Ninveh province have faced severe electricity outages since Wednesday night after a drone strike on the Khor Mor gas field halted major gas flows to power stations in Al-Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, and Duhok.

Shafaq News correspondents reported widespread cuts across the four provinces, with residents receiving only limited hours of electricity. Shortages are expected to continue if repairs to the damaged internal pipeline inside the field take longer than anticipated.

In Duhok, a source from the provincial Electricity Directorate said the available supply has dropped by nearly 70%, falling from roughly 550 megawatts to about 163 megawatts. Efforts to compensate through private generators have also stalled following the local government’s recent decision to terminate contracts with the generators committee, leaving no immediate alternative to stabilize supply.

A source in Nineveh’s Electricity Directorate told Shafaq News that the province lost its entire 125-megawatt share received from Kurdistan under the power-exchange line. The supply, he said, “fell to zero immediately after the Khor Mor shutdown,” resulting in reduced hours of electricity across Mosul and surrounding districts. Restoration, he added, depends on restarting gas-powered stations linked to Khor Mor once repairs are completed.

Earlier, the Kurdistan Region’s Ministries of Natural Resources and Electricity confirmed a complete halt in gas flows following the attack. Technical teams from both ministries are working with Dana Gas—the operator of the field—to assess damage and begin repairs.

The federal Ministry of Electricity also reported significant losses. Ministry spokesperson Ahmad Mousa said the strike deprived the national system of around 1,200 megawatts, while disruptions in energy-purchase contracts with investment stations in the Kurdistan Region pushed total reductions to nearly 2,600 megawatts.

Khor Mor, located in the Chamchamal district, supplies gas through a 180-kilometer pipeline feeding power stations in Chemchemal, Bazian, and Erbil—generating more than 2,000 megawatts of electricity under normal conditions. The field has been the target of repeated drone and rocket attacks in recent years.

Read more: Khor Mor under fire: Renewed strikes expose Kurdistan’s fragile energy security