ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s electricity ministry announced on Thursday that more than 2,500 generators have been decommissioned as the government expands the round-the-clock power initiative to nearly three million people.
The ministry said in a statement that “over 2,517 diesel neighbourhood generators have been phased out so far. And by the end of 2026, the KRG plans to phase out over 7,000 generators,” noting that the majority of them were running in Erbil city.
It added that over 2.7 million people in the Kurdistan Region, which make up around 40 percent of the Region’s population, have 24-hour power as part of the quickly expanding Runaki project. Erbil accounts for the largest share of beneficiaries, with nearly 1.5 million residents of the capital enjoying uninterrupted power.
“This achievement marks a significant milestone in delivering clean, reliable and affordable electricity throughout the Kurdistan Region,” read the statement.
For years, many people have relied on private generators, which are costly and polluting, when the national grid would cut out for hours daily.
"We are steadily advancing toward our goal of delivering uninterrupted electricity to every household and business across the Kurdistan Region by the end of 2026,” the Runaki project team told Rudaw English.
Over 2.7 million citizens and counting.
— Runaki (@Runaki_gov_krd) July 31, 2025
Nearly 40% of the Kurdistan Region is now part of the Runaki programme.
Step by step, we are powering a brighter Kurdistan. pic.twitter.com/iPH2QC1neq
