US condemns attack on Khor Mor gas field

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Alina L. Romanowski, the US Ambassador to Iraq, on Friday in a post on X condemned Thursday’s attack on the Khor Mor gas field in the Qadir Karam Sub-district of Chamchamal District.

“The attack damaged infrastructure & exposed millions to power outages in midwinter. The U.S. stands by our partners in Iraq, including the IKR [Iraqi Kurdistan Region], in support of Iraqi sovereignty & security,” the envoy said.

I condemn yesterday’s attack on Khor Mor in Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR). The attack damaged infrastructure & exposed millions to power outages in midwinter. The U.S. stands by our partners in Iraq, including the IKR, in support of Iraqi sovereignty & security.

— Ambassador Alina L. Romanowski (@USAmbIraq) January 26, 2024

A security source told Kurdistan24 that on Thursday at 10:30 p.m., two Katyusha rockets struck the Khor Mor’s oil production plant. There have been disputes as to the extent of the damage, as one source told Kurdistan24 that no casualties had been reported and that the rockets landed in an empty area.

However, a source in the governor's office of Chamchamal told Kurdistan24 that a rocket hit a warehouse containing crude oil and gas waste, causing it to burn.

The gas field is estimated to contain over 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves.

Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum are the two most prominent producers at the plant, announcing in early 2022 that they produced 552 million cubic feet of natural gas daily.

In a statement, representatives of Dana Gas said the attacks caused a temporary suspension of production at the field. The statement confirmed that a fire in the warehouse had been extinguished. It further emphasized that no injuries were reported.

The companies further plan to increase gas production in the sector by 55 percent.

Dana Gas is a UAE-based energy company. It is one of the largest private-sector natural gas companies in the Middle East and North Africa.

In addition to the Khor Mor gas field, there are several other oil fields in the Kurdistan Region, including the Bina Bawi gas field, operated by Genel Energy, and the Chemchemal gas field, operated by Gulf Keystone Petroleum. The region is also home to smaller fields such as the government-run Piramagrun gas field.

Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq