Three oil fields within the semi-autonomous Kurdistan area in northern Iraq have been attacked by drones on Wednesday, including to a spate of hits on vitality installations within the space this week.
Two drones attacked the DNO ASA-operated Peshkabir area round 6am native time, the Directorate Common of Counter Terrorism in Kurdistan stated in an announcement. One other drone hit the Tawke venture about an hour later, it stated. A 3rd assault was reported at a area in Ain Sifni within the north, the Kurdistan Ministry of Pure Assets stated, including the strikes precipitated vital harm to infrastructure.
DNO suspended output at its tasks, and would restart as soon as an evaluation is accomplished, the corporate stated. Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd., which operates the Shaikan area that produced somewhat over 40,000 barrels a day final yr, shut operations as a precaution though the belongings haven’t been hit, the corporate stated.
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The Kurdistan area hasn’t been delivery any crude to world markets since an export pipeline to Turkey’s Mediterranean coast was shut over two years in the past following a funds dispute. The overwhelming majority of Iraq’s oil manufacturing comes from the nation’s south.
Assaults on vitality infrastructure aren’t unusual within the north, which the Kurdistan administration typically hyperlinks on Iran-affiliated teams. Nobody has claimed accountability for the most recent spree. On Tuesday, the Sarsang area operated by US agency HKN Power was shut after a strike precipitated an explosion and fireplace, whereas one other venture known as Khurmala was focused by two drones earlier.
The US embassy in Iraq condemned the assaults in an announcement on Tuesday.
The Tawke area produced 29,153 barrels a day final yr and Peshkabir’s output was 49,462 a day, in accordance with DNO’s web site.
The Sarsang area pumped about 30,000 barrels a day of oil on common within the first quarter, in accordance with Canadian producer ShaMaran Petroleum Corp., which has a minority stake within the venture. It wasn’t instantly clear how a lot crude the Khurmala area was producing.
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