ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - There are nearly 50,000 private generators keeping the lights on when the power cuts out across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, Iraq’s ministry of planning said on Friday.
According to a government survey, there are 48,533 private generators that provide electricity to 6.7 million people. Successive Iraqi and Kurdistan Region governments have been unable to provide 24-hour electricity to the public, and blackouts have been a frequent source of public anger. Scorching weather in summer especially pushes demand far beyond capacity.
Many households and businesses rely on costly generators to maintain supply. According to data collected by Rudaw, there are more than 5,500 generators in Erbil, excluding those belonging to motels, hotels and restaurants.
Qaraman Mawloud, head of the directorate that oversees Erbil’s private generators, told Rudaw on Friday that most of these generators are “very silent” in Erbil. A few years ago, Erbil authorities directed generator owners to reduce the noise.
The diesel-burning generators are also a major source of air pollution, often placed in the middle of neighbourhoods and pumping out thick, black smoke.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has about 1.8 million subscribers on the national power grid.
