More energy infrastructure attacked in the Middle East

Attacks on energy infrastructure across the Gulf have continued this week, with incidents affecting both power generation and fuel processing facilities. On Friday, April 3, a drone attack in Kuwait damaged a power plant that also serves as a water desalination facility, according to the New York Times. Smoke was also reported at Kuwait International Airport after a drone attack on Wednesday, April 1.

Competing claims over Kuwait incident

Fatima Hayat, spokesperson for Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, alleged that Iran was behind the April 1 incident. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied the allegation and said Israel was responsible.

The Kuwait developments followed closely on other escalatory actions involving Iran. The day before, the U.S. bombed a bridge in Iran, and U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to expand attacks to Iran’s power plants.

Refinery fire in Kuwait

Separately, Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) said a drone struck its Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, causing several components to catch fire. KNPC reported no casualties and said it had not determined where the aircraft originated.

Reuters reported that in an earlier attack on March 19, both the Mina al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah refineries operated by KNPC were struck and set ablaze. KNPC said the two facilities have a combined capacity of about 800,000 barrels per day.

Gas facility fire in Abu Dhabi

In Abu Dhabi, officials said on April 3 that debris from an air-defense intercept caused a fire at the Habshan gas-processing facility. Habshan is the largest gas-processing plant in Abu Dhabi, operated by ADNOC to collect and process gas from the emirate’s fields and distribute it domestically.

Habshan is also the starting point of ADNOC’s crude oil pipeline to Fujairah, outside the Hormuz Strait. Officials said the facility has shut down twice since the Middle East conflict began.

Broader regional targeting and widening scope

Since the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, Tehran has retaliated with attacks on energy infrastructure in Middle Eastern countries allied with the U.S. One major target is Ras Laffan in Qatar, home to the world’s largest LNG export facility.

At the same time, the U.S.-Israel air campaign has targeted many of Iran’s energy facilities, including fuel depots and gas fields. As the conflict enters its second month, the list of targets has expanded beyond energy assets to include steel plants and other industrial infrastructure.

Desalination plants have also been targeted, despite their role in supplying water in desert regions.

Trump signals potential expansion to power plants

Trump warned that targets could include Iran’s power plants and other infrastructure if Iran’s leadership does not accept a peace settlement and end the blockade of the Hormuz Strait, described as the world’s most important shipping route for global energy markets.

“Our military—the strongest in the world—has not yet even begun to destroy what remains in Iran,” Trump wrote on social media on the evening of Thursday, April 2. He said the next targets could include highways and power plants.

Damage estimates across the region

According to Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), since the Iran confrontation began, up to March 23 at least 40 energy facilities across 9 Middle Eastern countries had been damaged at a “serious” or “very serious” level.

Rystad Energy estimated that, as of March 27, damage to energy infrastructure in the region had reached about $25 billion. The firm said Qatar has suffered the heaviest losses, with attacks disrupting about 20% of its LNG export capacity—equivalent to 12.8 million tonnes per year.