ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Power stations in the Kurdistan Region have restarted production and electricity is expected to return to normal on Tuesday, an informed source said, after Dana Gas resumed gas production that was previously halted due to security threats. 

The UAE-based Dana Gas, which resumed operations at Sulaimani's vital Khor Mor gas field on Monday,  announced that production “will be carefully and gradually increased,” after receiving security guarantees from the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

A source from one of Erbil’s power stations told The New Region that four out of eight gas production units had been reactivated by Tuesday morning, adding that another two are set to follow, returning the electricity supply to normal levels.

On late Monday, a source from Khor Mor told The New Region that at least three drones were seen at the facility following the announcement, noting that sirens were sounded but the situation has since normalized. The New Region also learned that the drones circled the facility three times, but no shots were fired.

In mid-July, Dana Gas announced that all production had been suspended "due to the existence of a credible threat to security and the escalation of the situation in the region," coming as the peace memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran collapsed and led to renewed hostilities.

Located in Sulaimani province's Chamchamal district, the Khor Mor field is the largest supplier of electricity in the Kurdistan Region, with natural gas reserves of around 1.8 trillion cubic feet, and the July suspension had significantly reduced the Region's power-generation capacity.

Khor Mor has long served as a strategic target for Iran-aligned factions in Iraq, with the commencement of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February leading to the facility being repeatedly attacked and provoking evacuations of staff and halts in production.

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday announced that Erbil is in talks with the US to acquire its own air defense systems, thus ending the reliance on the US-led coalition forces.

“So far, they have been providing protection because of their own presence, but of course, after the departure of these troops, there will be a different situation,” the premier explained, with the US-led coalition set to depart from the country by the end of September.