At a Glance

• The Khor Mor gas field, the main source of power for the Kurdistan Region, has come under attack again.

• It is the first strike on the field under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's government.

• Baghdad says it plans to protect the site with an air defense system.

Iraq's federal government says it intends to shield the Khor Mor gas field, the backbone of the Kurdistan Region's electricity supply, after the latest drone attack on the site, the first to hit it under Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi's administration.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• Government on Securing the Field: The Prime Minister is determined to secure Khor Mor, and authorities plan to deploy an air defense system to protect it. — Sabah Numan, Spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces.

• Government on Investment: Security guarantees are being extended to operating companies so they can boost production levels. — Sabah Numan.

• Focus Area: The repeated attacks on Khor Mor and the push to protect a vital energy facility for the Kurdistan Region.

According to monitoring centers, the field has been targeted 13 times by missile and drone strikes from 2022 through the 8th of this month.

The Iraqi government formed investigative committees after each attack, but their findings have never been made public.

Criticism has also been directed at the caretaker government for failing to secure the field, with its response largely limited to routine condemnations.

Before the drone attack on the 8th, the field produced 700 million cubic feet of natural gas, 1,400 metric tons of domestic LPG and 22,000 barrels of condensate per day.

Each day of disrupted gas production costs more than $4 million. Khor Mor supplies gas to power stations, LPG for homes across the Region, and a power plant in Kirkuk.

FYI

Khor Mor's proven natural gas reserves are estimated at 8 to 15 trillion cubic feet. Operations are run by a five-company consortium under Pearl Petroleum.

Because of its strategic importance, both the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government treat its security as a critical priority, yet it has repeatedly been targeted by hostile actors seeking to disrupt its operations.

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