Drone Strikes on Iraq’s Kurdistan Slash Oil Output

Drone attacks for a third day on oilfields in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region have slashed crude output by 140,000 to 150,000 barrels per day, two energy officials said yesterday, as infrastructure damage forced multiple shutdowns.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks, and no group has claimed responsibility.

The region’s total production was around 285,000 barrels per day (bpd), Iraqi Kurdistan energy officials said.

Several oilfields halted operations due to significant infrastructure damage, the Kurdistan region’s Ministry of Natural Resources said, adding that the attacks also aimed to threaten the safety of civilian workers in the energy sector.

Gulf Keystone Petroleum said it shut production at Shaikan field, one of the largest oil discoveries in the Iraq’s Kurdistan region, due to attacks in its vicinity.

“As a safety precaution, GKP has decided to temporarily shut-in production and has taken measures to protect staff. The company’s assets have not been impacted,” the company said in a statement.

Gulf Keystone has a production sharing contract with Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) with an 80 per cent working interest in the license of Shaikan, located around 60 kilometres to the northwest of capital Erbil.

“A number of terrorist attacks were carried out by a bomb-dropping drone on the oil fields of Tawke, Peshkabour, and Ain Sifni in the independent administration of Zakho and the district of Shekhan in Duhok province,” KRG’s ministry of natural resources said.

Norwegian oil and gas firm DNO, which operates the Tawke and Peshkabour oilfields in the Zakho area that borders Turkiye, said it temporarily suspended production at the fields following explosions that caused no injuries.

“The damage assessment is underway and the company expects to restart production once the assessment is completed,” DNO said.