ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Kurdistan Region’s Garmiyan administration is set to receive round-the-clock electricity as the Runaki Project continues expanding, an official said Saturday. The development is set to add yet another 85,000 beneficiaries of the landmark initiative.

“Electricity throughout Garmiyan, including all districts, subdistricts, and villages will be 24 hours; To this end, the Runaki Project teams have started working,” Hazim Karim head of Garmiyan’s electricity told The New Region.

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

The project currently provides electricity for over 4.5 million citizens in the Kurdistan Region, and aims to cover the Region’s entire population by the end of 2026.

The Garmiyan administration is separated into five zones where “there are more than 85,000 electricity beneficiaries in all these zones. Work has now started in the first zone and will be carried out zone by zone as the work is completed,” Karim added.

Erbil, has the highest number of beneficiaries, sitting at 1,935,000, Sulaimani comes in second at 1,345,000, and Duhok third with 495,000.

The initiative is also expected to produce significant environmental benefits through the replacement of private, diesel-powered generators that are highly polluting. “The KRG plans to phase out over 7,000 generators by the end of 2026,” a prior KRG statement asserted.