ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Kurdistan Region's landmark round-the-clock electricity program has led to the shutdown of over 1,000 generators, representing 17 percent of the total number of generators in the Region.

The “Runaki Project” is the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) initiative to provide 24-hour power to residential neighborhoods. The project aims to cover the entire region by 2026.

An Runaki Poroject official told The New Region on Thursday that as part of the program, a total of 1,260 generators, amounting to 17 percent of the total number of alley generators in the Kurdistan Region, have been shut down.

The nationwide shutdowns mark a significant milestone for environmental cleanup in the Region.

Silencing 17 percent of the noisy generators is equivalent to reducing 240,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, or removing 250,000 vehicles from the streets.

With the Runaki Project covering the entire Kurdistan Region, over 7,000 generators will be shut down, leading to a reduction in carbon dioxide in the air by 1.4 million tons annually, which is equivalent to removing 1.3 million vehicles, according to the KRG.

According to KRG's plans, by the end of this year, over two million people in the Kurdistan Region will have access to the round-the-clock electricity program, with latest figures suggesting that over 1.1 million people currently have access to the environmentally-friendly electricity program.

Earlier this week, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani hailed Runaki as a pivotal electricity program to illuminate homes and bolster industry in the Kurdistan Region.

"We provide the basic necessities of modern life not only for today but also for future generations. As a key element of this progress, we are committed to providing sustainable electricity through the Runaki Project and turning one of our biggest challenges into the biggest achievement by lighting homes, strengthening industry, and fulfilling the promise of a brighter Kurdistan,” the prime minister said during a keynote speech he delivered at a graduation ceremony for the Class of 2025 at the American University of Kurdistan (AUK) in Duhok.