ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Electricity announced Saturday that they will expand the round-the-clock electricity program to four additional Erbil neighborhoods, bringing the total number of citizens benefiting from the project across the Region to 300,000.

The “Runaki Project” is the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG’s) program to provide 24-hour power to residential neighborhoods. The project aims to cover the entirety of the Region by 2026.

The four neighborhoods are the latest addition to the program, following 17 other neighborhoods in the Kurdish capital already benefiting from the project, according to the ministry statement. The neighborhoods set to be covered are Zanyari, Tajil, Araban, and Minara.

Meanwhile, the ministry has also begun implementing the project in Sulaimani province as well. Sirwan Mohammed, spokesperson for the electricity ministry, told The New Region on Thursday that the project is set to “cover the entirety of Sulaimani” by the end of 2025.

The KRG announced earlier this week that nearly 9,000 homes and businesses in Sulaimani had switched to 24-hour electricity through the Runaki Project.

Saturday’s additions bring the total number of subscribers receiving round-the-clock electricity to approximately 90,000 subscribers across the Kurdistan Region, accounting for nearly 300,000 citizens.

Additionally, the first neighborhood in Duhok is set to switch to 24/7 electricity in the next few weeks as well.

The Runaki Project was announced by Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in October 2024, aiming to eliminate the electricity issues that the Region has struggled with for decades.