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Iraqi Kurdistan: Kurdish cities suffer
from power shortage following redistribution
3.7.2006
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ERBIL,
Kurdistan-Iraq, 2 July (IRIN) - 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
electricity in Erbil 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
Erbil, 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 Erbil'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.
irinnews org
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