ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - With two power stations undergoing repairs, electricity generation in the Kurdistan Region has dropped just as demand has increased with the arrival of colder weather. The electricity ministry said in a statement on Friday that two stations in Erbil province’s Khabat district are undergoing repairs, taking 300 megawatts of electricity out of the system since November 15. The stations will be back in operation late in the month. The drop in power generation comes as temperatures have fallen as low as four degrees Celsius in recent days. Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir said in a statement on Friday that the national power grid is in “terrible” condition and that his province received only seven hours of electricity in 24 hours. “This situation requires a swift decision and a fundamental solution,” he said. He told Rudaw that Sulaimani and Halabja provinces together receive 33.5 percent of the Region’s electricity. Kurdistan Region’s electricity ministry generates 3,800 megawatts of electricity but it is not enough for 24-hour power due to high demand. And financial problems means power stations cannot always operate at full capacity. The government recently installed new meters in some neighborhoods and businesses, providing them with 24 hours of electricity with a ten-fold increase in the price. This angered many consumers as over a million public employees have not been paid their salaries for nearly three months. When the national supply cuts out, people rely on private diesel-fuelled generators that are costly and polluting. The government sells some electricity to customers in disputed areas, claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil.
