ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Power demand in Sulaimani province has dropped by 25 percent compared to last year following the rollout of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) 24-hour electricity project, according to local authorities.
“According to our data, [power] demand has decreased by 25 percent under the Runaki project,” Sulaimani electricity directorate spokesperson Sirwan Mohammed told Rudaw on Tuesday.
He said Sulaimani province consumed around 800 megawatts in August 2024, which was only enough to provide 16 hours of electricity a day. This August, however, usage fell to 600 megawatts while power was available around the clock.
The KRG launched the Runaki project - meaning “light” in Kurdish - to stabilize the energy sector and deliver uninterrupted electricity. Subscribers are billed at higher rates than before, with charges increasing progressively after every 400-kilowatt threshold to encourage reduced consumption.
The KRG electricity ministry said in late August that nearly four million people - more than half of the Region’s population - now have access to the program.
“I am very satisfied with it… even if it [the cost] becomes 500 [thousand dinars or $380], I am very grateful,” said Aziz Ali, a Sulaimani resident who complained of years of reliance on private generators.
For decades, many households depended on diesel-powered generators to cover long daily outages from the national grid, despite high costs and heavy pollution. According to the electricity ministry, more than 3,200 diesel generators have been phased out so far, with plans to raise that figure above 7,000 by the end of next year.
“Back then we only had [national] power for six or seven hours so we would turn everything on at once, but now it is 24 hours so we turn things on carefully,” said resident Awat Ali.
“We turn things on less now but we use the air conditioner 24 hours a day because we have no water to use the desert cooler,” added Shirin Hussein, noting they are considering switching to less energy-intensive appliances.
Desert coolers, locally known as Mubarida, are widely used in the Kurdistan Region as they consume far less power than air conditioners, but severe drought in some areas have made their use nearly impossible.
Erbil accounts for the largest share of beneficiaries of Runaki project, with nearly two million residents receiving uninterrupted power under the program. Halabja province fully enjoys the service.
