Gas production at Iraq's Khor Mor field was suspended after a drone struck the site on the night of Sunday, November 8, 2026. The strike set an LPG storage unit on fire and cut gas supplies to power plants across Iraq's Kurdistan region. More than 70% of the region lost electricity, according to the Kurdish electricity ministry, and about 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of generation was knocked out. No group has claimed responsibility.
Khor Mor attack: key facts
- When: Sunday night, November 8, 2026
- What was hit: the field's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage and production unit, causing a fire that has been put out
- Casualties: none, according to an initial assessment cited by Iraq's prime minister
- Power impact: 2,500 to 2,800 megawatts lost; plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok affected
- Operator: UAE-based Dana Gas, which says production remains suspended while it assesses the damage
- Responsibility: unclaimed. Kurdish officials have previously blamed Iranian-backed militias for attacks on the field.
What Happened at Khor Mor
Two electricity ministry sources told Reuters that a single drone hit the field's LPG storage tank, causing a fire. Dana Gas, the field's joint operator, said the fire had been extinguished, no staff were injured, and employees had been moved to shelters inside the facility. Production remains suspended pending a damage assessment.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said there were no casualties based on an initial assessment, and ordered a joint investigative committee with the Kurdistan region's authorities, Al Jazeera reported. The Kurdistan Regional Government's natural resources and electricity ministries called it a "terrorist attack".
Power Cuts Across Kurdistan
Khor Mor, in Sulaimaniyah governorate, supplies gas to the power plants that generate much of the Kurdistan region's electricity. The ministry's spokesperson, Omid Ahmed, said the strike took 2,500 to 2,800 megawatts off the grid. Gas supply was suspended to plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok, leaving more than 70% of the region without power.
Ahmed said the ministry would keep critical services such as hospitals and water treatment plants running using hydroelectric and alternative-fuel plants.
Who Runs the Khor Mor Gas Field?
Khor Mor is operated by Dana Gas, a UAE-listed energy company, as part of the Pearl Petroleum consortium. It is the main source of gas for power generation in Iraqi Kurdistan, which makes any outage felt quickly by homes and businesses.
A History of Attacks
The field has been targeted repeatedly. A drone strike hit the same facility in November 2025, and no group claimed that attack either. In July 2026, Dana Gas shut its main production facilities, citing security threats and regional tension, before restarting later that month, according to Reuters. Kurdish officials have previously blamed Iranian-backed militias, but there has been no claim or official attribution for Sunday's attack.
Al Jazeera said it was unclear whether the strike was related to the wider conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Why It Matters for Energy Markets and Business
- Local economy: extended blackouts hit factories, shops and services across the Kurdistan region, a major oil-producing area.
- Regional risk: attacks on energy infrastructure add to the risk premium in Middle East energy assets at a time when Brent crude was already trading near $98 to $99 a barrel last week, as we reported in our global markets roundup.
- Investors: Dana Gas and its partners face another production halt. The length of the outage will depend on the damage assessment.
For more on how energy and geopolitics are shaping business, see our World Business coverage.
What Happens Next
- Dana Gas's damage assessment, which will determine when production can restart.
- The findings of the joint Iraqi and Kurdish investigative committee.
- Whether power can be restored using alternative supplies while gas is offline.
FAQs
What is the Khor Mor gas field?
A natural gas field in Iraq's Kurdistan region, operated by Dana Gas, that supplies fuel to the region's power plants.
Who attacked Khor Mor?
No group has claimed responsibility. Officials have blamed Iranian-backed militias for past attacks, but not formally for this one.
How much power was lost?
About 2.5 to 2.8 GW, leaving more than 70% of the Kurdistan region without electricity, according to the Kurdish electricity ministry.
This is a developing story. Checked on November 9, 2026, against Reuters and Al Jazeera reporting and official statements. We will update it as production and power supplies are restored.