UAE firm to resume production from Iraq’s Khor Mor complex after drone attack

A UAE firm said Wednesday it was taking steps to resume production from an Iraq gas complex which was halted after a deadly drone strike last week.

The Khor Mor complex owned by a consortium of two United Arab Emirates energy firms has been hit several times in recent years.

But last Friday’s strike was the first deadly attack, with four Yemeni workers killed and at least eight other people wounded.

On Monday, Dana Gas said it would “temporarily suspend production” at Khor Mor before reversing the decision days later.

“Dana Gas and its partners have taken steps to recommence production from the Khor Mor field,” the firm said in a statement published on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange on Wednesday.

“This is being done in a phased manner with new measures being implemented to maximize the safety of all personnel and facilities.”

Friday’s strike disrupted gas supply to the region’s power plants, resulting in the loss of 2,500 megawatts (MW) of electricity, authorities said.

Dana Gas said the decision to resume production was linked to “concrete actions which have been taken by the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan regional government to significantly strengthen defenses at the Khor Mor site.”

The Khor Mor gas field lies between the cities of Kirkuk and Sulaimaniyah, in an area administered by the Kurdish authorities.

In January, rockets targeted the gas field, causing a blaze but no casualties. At the time, pro-Iranian Iraqi armed groups were attacking military bases hosting US forces in Iraq and neighboring Syria.