Kurdish cities suffer from power shortage following redistribution

A recent decision by the central government to cut the power supply to two northern governorates – at the height of the summer heat – has resulted in massive discomfort and inconvenience for local residents. The north is being encouraged to produce its own electricty in Arbil and Sulaymaniyah. “Since June 25, the central government has cut the electric supply to parts of the Kurdish region,” explained Hussein Hamad, head of power distribution in the Arbil governorate. “This has had a negative impact on the power schedule set by the regional government for its citizens.” Some 200 megawatts of electricity – supplied to the region from the national power grid – was cut last month due to insufficient production in other regions, according to local officials. “The Iraqi electricity ministry told us that the power supply to Kurdistan was cut off because of technical problems and low levels of electricity production in central and southern provinces,” said Yaseen Abubakir, director of control and transmission at the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) electricity ministry. “Now they give Kurdistan’s share of power to other provinces.” Since the designation of the area in 1991 as a safe haven by the US and United Nations, the Kurdish region has continuously suffered frequent blackouts due to the dilapidation of local power stations after years of war and sanctions. While considerable amounts of electricity are produced at the nearby Dukan and Derbendikhan hydro-power stations – the region’s primary providers – in Sulaimaniyah, output is insufficient to meet demand. Officials at the region’s electricity ministry declined to reveal the levels of energy currently produced at the twin stations. While electricity distribution is more reliable now than in previous years, major shortages are still regular occurrences. According to officials, the region requires some 1,000 megawatts of electricity per day to meet demand, although they say this will not be possible before 2010. Residents, meanwhile, complain that frequent power cuts have affected all aspects of daily life. Umed Salih, a high school student from a district near Arbil, recalled taking his final exams in the summer heat without the luxury of air-conditioning. “It was unbearable to sit on a hot bench for hours to take my exams,” Salih said. Regular power outages also mean that Arbil’s biggest hospital often lacks the 24-hour electricity supply needed to cope with emergencies. “When we don’t have electricity, we have to operate generators to fill the gap,” said Dr Hoshyar Mohammed Arif, director of Rizgari Hospital. In order to solve the longstanding problem, the KRG has begun building two new power stations with a total production capacity of almost 650 megawatts. The regional government is also encouraging the local private sector to invest in small electricity generators in certain neighbourhoods. MS/SZ/AM