KRG says over 2 million people receiving 24-hour electricity

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 2 million people across the Kurdistan Region are now receiving round-the-clock electricity through the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Runaki project, authorities said Wednesday.

“2 million people across the Kurdistan Region now enjoy 24-hour electricity through the KRG’s Runaki initiative,” Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on X, stressing that the initiative “will reach every home and business by the end of 2026.”

The Runaki Project is the KRG’s flagship initiative to provide round-the-clock power and phase out costly and polluting private diesel-powered generators.

In a statement, the KRG’s electricity ministry said the current beneficiaries represent “nearly 30 percent of the Kurdistan Region’s population,” with 544,000 electricity subscribers included in the project so far. The breakdown by province is 1,375,000 in Erbil, 504,000 in Sulaimani, and 176,000 in Duhok.

The number of private generators shut down now exceeds 2,100, with 1,652 in Erbil, 292 in Sulaimani, and 163 in Duhok, according to the ministry, expecting the figure to reach 7,000 by the end of 2026.

“This achievement is an important step to provide constant and affordable electricity alongside a cleaner environment in the Kurdistan Region,” the ministry said.

It also claimed that 80 percent of households are now paying less for electricity than they did under the previous system of mixed national grid supply and generator fees.

The ministry added that the project will expand to cover Halabja province by the end of 2025.

For years, people across the Kurdistan Region have relied on private generators during long daily blackouts from the national grid, which drove up household expenses and contributed to air and noise pollution.