In a joint statement, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s ministries of Natural Resources and Electricity described the drone strike on the Kormor gas field near Chamchamal at 11:00 p.m. last night as a “terrorist act.” They said they were making ongoing efforts to ensure the attack had the least possible impact on electricity supply schedules for consumers and that conditions would return to normal as soon as possible.
Omed Ahmed, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Electricity, said gas supplies to power-generation plants in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok had been halted, resulting in a loss of between (2500 and 2800) megawatts. He added that, to prevent a total blackout, the ministry was supplying electricity to sensitive facilities such as hospitals and water stations by operating the Dukan and Darbandikhan hydroelectric plants, along with other stations using alternative fuel. He said the return to normal depended on the resumption of gas exports from Kormor.
An informed source also revealed that the drone struck the field’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) section, damaging storage facilities and a transmission pipeline. Although the radar warning alarm sounded and employees took shelter beneath concrete walls, the attack caused damage because there was no air-defense system. The entire system and gas supplies had to be shut down to extinguish the fire, affecting the newly established plants in Chamchamal, Erbil, Bazian and Kirkuk. More than (170) tanker trucks operate there daily, loading between (1400 and 1500) tons of gas each day.
