ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Tuesday is set to begin laying a pipeline providing natural gas from Erbil to the 1,000-megawatt Kashe power plant in Duhok province’s Semel district.

"The pipeline is to be laid from Khurmala to the power station in Duhok—this is implemented by KAR Group," an informed source told The New Region on the condition of anonymity on Monday.

The New Region understands that the pipeline itself will be 192 kilometers long and is being implemented at a cost of $591 million.

Khurmala is an oil field located in the southwest of Erbil province, being operated by the aforementioned KAR Group, which is based in the Kurdistan Region's capital, and providing a key resource reservoir for the Region's energy sector. 

The KRG has long sought to enhance and diversify its energy sources, enjoying relative success compared to federal Iraq, parts of which repeatedly face blackouts due to dependence on foreign imports and inadequate infrastructure. 

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced the Runaki Project in October last year, which seeks to supply 24-hour electricity to the entire Kurdistan Region by 2026, with nearly four million residents currently enjoying the benefits of the initiative.

Most of the electricity production in the Kurdistan Region is powered by natural gas.

Runaki aims to eliminate chronic electricity issues in the Kurdistan Region and has led to over 3,000 private power generators being phased out, with the KRG aiming to shut off 7,000 generators by the end of the project’s implementation.