Dukan-Sulaymaniyah road
Villagers protest electricity shortages, block road in Piramagrun subdistrict
SULAYMANIYAH — Residents from villages in Sulaymaniyah’s Piramagrun subdistrict staged a protest Wednesday along the main Dukan–Sulaymaniyah road, blocking traffic near the village of Mughagh to demand improved services.
Lazo Mohammed, a resident of Mughagh, told 964media, “We protested due to the lack of services in our area and blocked the Dukan-Sulaymaniyah main road for more than an hour.” He explained that the primary grievance is electricity shortages, noting that residents receive only four to five hours of power in a 24‑hour period. “We do not have private generators, and power outages at night have created difficulties for residents.”
Mohammed said that residents from approximately 25 villages — including Mughagh, Kani Miran, Saburawa, Hajitan, Kani Shok, Suse, Kotal, Ziwê, Girdabor, and Qarachatan — joined the protest, all facing the same issues and calling for improved services. The protesters later reopened the road but warned that if the electricity issue is not resolved, they will block the road again.
The Kurdistan Region, and Iraq in general, has struggled with consistent grid electricity supply. Although it operates 15 power plants — including hydroelectric, gas, and diesel facilities — residents rely heavily on private generators, paying monthly fees per ampere to cover period without grid electricity. Currently, more than 7,000 private generators are in operation to supplement the region’s energy needs, creating substantial noise pollution and contributing to environmental challenges in urban areas.
On Oct. 17, 2024, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani launched the “Runaki” project in Erbil’s Shadi and Nazanaz neighborhoods, aiming to deliver uninterrupted electricity to the entire Kurdistan Region by 2026. “By the end of 2026, every family and business in the Kurdistan Region will enjoy 24/7 electricity,” Barzani said at the launch event.
