Shafaq News- Erbil (Update at 17:17)

The Runaki project, the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) program to supply 24-hour electricity, will cover the entire Kurdistan Region (KRI) by the end of this year, Aziz Ahmed, the project's deputy head, said on Tuesday.

Power will be available around the clock except during peak demand in summer and winter, when more cooperation from consumers and higher production will be needed, Ahmed said in a speech.

The KRI still faces a funding gap in its electricity sector, according to Ahmed. Producing 4,000 megawatts costs more than $200 million a month, while revenues stand at about $80 million, of which about $60 million goes into a fund for power-producing companies after operating and staff costs.

Before Runaki, bills reached only 40% of the KRI's roughly two million subscribers, and only 30% of those paid, he said, adding that the project had raised revenues to their current level.

The Iraqi government has expressed readiness to coordinate on applying the model in central and southern provinces, but no pilot site has been chosen yet, Ahmed added.

KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani launched Runaki in November 2024 as part of a plan to gradually end reliance on private generators and provide homes, shops and businesses with a sustainable power supply.

The average monthly electricity bill in the Kurdistan Region stands at about 34,000 Iraqi dinars ($22.36) in 2026, according to the KRG Ministry of Electricity. Bills average 36,000 dinars ($23.68) in Erbil, 38,000 ($25) in Duhok, 30,000 ($19.73) in Al-Sulaymaniyah, and 27,000 ($17.76) in Halabja.

Elsewhere in Iraq, a middle-income family spends between 91,667 and 104,167 dinars ($60.3 - $68.53) a month on electricity.

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