On Friday, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Electricity said that nearly 5.5 million citizens – more than 85% of the Kurdistan Region’s population – now have 24-hour access to electricity through the Runaki initiative.

The KRG Ministry of Electricity said that the latest developments have expanded coverage to all of Soran, Zakho, Raparin, Koy Sanjaq, Pirmam, Akre, and Simele.

Read More: KRG Announces 24-Hour Power for Nearly 4.5 Million Citizens

All newly included areas will enjoy 50%, 25%, and 15% discounts for the first three months under the Runaki program, as part of the transition to the new progressive tariffs.

In October 2024, KRG Prime Minister Barzani announced that 24-hour electricity would be provided to all of the Kurdistan Region by the end of 2026 as part of the Runaki project, which also has an official website and a Whatsapp group.

“We’ve come a long way since the first neighborhood in Erbil switched in July 2024,” Aziz Ahmad, Deputy Chief of Staff toPrime Minister Barzani, posted on X.

“This month alone, we switched over a million people – bringing the total to more than 5.5 million.”

“In the process, we’ve turned off nearly 6,000 noisy, costly, polluting diesel neighborhood generators. That’s the equivalent of taking over a million cars off the road. Our neighborhoods are cleaner, safer, and quieter as a result,” he said.

“The new progress tariffs continue to protect the vulnerable households. In fact, nearly 80% of customers are paying less than they did under diesel generators.”