It seems that the attack on the Cormor gas field in Sulaymaniyah, which claimed the lives of four Yemeni workers, has cast its shadow over Iraq’s aspirations to enter the global gas market.
Emirati company Dana Gas announced on Monday the suspension of its production operations at the Cormor gas field in Sulaymaniyah province following the attack on the field last Friday.
The Cormor gas field covers an area of 135 square kilometers and is the largest producing gas field in Iraq, with proven reserves of 8.2 trillion cubic feet. Its production reaches 452 million cubic feet of dry gas and 15,000 barrels of condensate per day, along with over 1000 metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas.
The field produces the gas needed to generate 4200 megawatts of electricity daily, with 2800 megawatts sent to the Kurdistan Region and the rest to the provinces of Kirkuk and Nineveh.
The company stated in a statement that “one of the liquid storage tanks within the Khurmor facilities belonging to Pearl Petroleum Company in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was subjected to a terrorist attack by a drone at 6:45 PM on Friday, April 26.”
It added that “this attack resulted in the killing of four contractors’ employees and the injury of eight others with minor injuries,” noting that “the preservation of the health and safety of all its employees, both staff and contractors, is its top priority.”
The company continued in its statement, “Despite no significant damage to the facility, and to ensure the safety of our employees and operational facilities, production operations have been temporarily suspended, and procedural changes have been implemented.”
It confirmed that it and its partners “are fully coordinating with the authorities of the Kurdistan Regional Government at the highest levels to support the announced commitments of the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice, and that this attack has sparked widespread regional and international condemnation, leading to support for immediate action.”
It also pointed out the “work with government authorities to enhance security and defense measures to allow the resumption of production operations at the Khurmor facility.”
The company “remains committed to the people of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole and all affiliated parties, and looks forward to resuming production operations in Khurmor as soon as it becomes safe,” pledging to “regularly update stakeholders on any developments.”
On April 26, an unknown party targeted the Cormor gas field in the Garmian district of Sulaymaniyah province, causing the suspension of gas production and reducing electricity production by 2500 megawatts.
No party has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, and this is not the first time the Cormor field has been targeted, as it was subjected to a similar incident earlier this year, the eighth in two years.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani announced yesterday, Sunday, that threads leading to the arrest of those involved in the drone attack on the Cormor gas field in Sulaymaniyah province had been found, according to what was announced by the State Administration Coalition.
The US State Department, the French Embassy in Iraq, and the International Coalition forces all condemned the attack on the Cormor gas field in the Garmian district, confirming that these criminal acts pose a threat to Iraq’s stability.
In 2022, the field’s reserves were 8.2 trillion cubic feet, and its daily production of natural gas was 452 million cubic meters, along with 22,000 barrels of gas condensate, transported by tankers and mixed with exported oil. Its daily production of liquefied gas was 1050 tons.
