Why Khor Mor gas field is so important for the Kurdistan region? - analysis
kurdsatnews
Jun 27, 2022
Khor Mor or Kormor gas field, Chamchamal, Kurdistan region.
The gas field is located in Sulaimani's Chamchamal district, just a few kilometeres from Popular Mobilization Forces' controlled Kurdish city of Kirkuk. The field produces a whopping 440 million cubic liters of natural gas daily, providing the Kurdistan region's daily 12 hours of national electricity. It also produces 16 thousand barrels of gas condensate used to make 800 Iraqi dinar petrol.
The field is also a substantial source of revenue for the Kurdistan regional government to pay its employees, which are close to 1.2 million in a region of 6.5 million people. The KRG's budget share from Baghdad has been withheld or sent from time to time since 2014, making the field more critical to the region's finance.
The 800-dinar petrol is key to the region's stability, as petrol prices have increased two-fold since 2020. When in early June petrol prices increased. People accuse energy retailers of rocket and feather pricing, with many taking to the streets and unprecedented long queues of taxis and buses waiting to refill their tanks.
UAE energy firm Dana Gas runs the field and is located within the borders of the Kurdistan region, which is far from the chaos and insecurity that haunts the rest of Iraq, which makes the recent attacks suspicious as terrorists have never got their hands on assets and people within the Kurdistan region.
Although in just 4 days, multiple rockets were fired at the gas field. The assault follows the Iraqi supreme court's ruling to strip the Kurdistan region from Kormor.
On June 26, the Peshmerga forces stopped the Iraqi army from taking over the field. Later the Deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan region, accompanied by the senior military commanders, visited the Kormor and assured them of the region's insistence on keeping the field safe.
After the Iraqi supreme court's ruling to take over the Kurdish field, Iraqi executive agencies wanted to carry out the decision, a politically motivated decision. Yet, the region would not easily give up as the gas field is key to the region's stability, finance and a key card in Erbil talks with Baghdad.
The field is also a substantial source of revenue for the Kurdistan regional government to pay its employees, which are close to 1.2 million in a region of 6.5 million people. The KRG's budget share from Baghdad has been withheld or sent from time to time since 2014, making the field more critical to the region's finance.
The 800-dinar petrol is key to the region's stability, as petrol prices have increased two-fold since 2020. When in early June petrol prices increased. People accuse energy retailers of rocket and feather pricing, with many taking to the streets and unprecedented long queues of taxis and buses waiting to refill their tanks.
UAE energy firm Dana Gas runs the field and is located within the borders of the Kurdistan region, which is far from the chaos and insecurity that haunts the rest of Iraq, which makes the recent attacks suspicious as terrorists have never got their hands on assets and people within the Kurdistan region.
Although in just 4 days, multiple rockets were fired at the gas field. The assault follows the Iraqi supreme court's ruling to strip the Kurdistan region from Kormor.
On June 26, the Peshmerga forces stopped the Iraqi army from taking over the field. Later the Deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan region, accompanied by the senior military commanders, visited the Kormor and assured them of the region's insistence on keeping the field safe.
After the Iraqi supreme court's ruling to take over the Kurdish field, Iraqi executive agencies wanted to carry out the decision, a politically motivated decision. Yet, the region would not easily give up as the gas field is key to the region's stability, finance and a key card in Erbil talks with Baghdad.
