14 ours of electricity now could go own to 4 hours in winter

[Anthea]

Hours of national electricity expected to further decrease in Kurdistan Region

As the winter season arrives, the people of the Kurdistan Region will begin to worry about the availability of national electricity, which has now decreased to 14 hours per day.

The hours of national electricity provided by the government are expected to decrease further in the Kurdistan Region during the coming season – at the same time the demand will increase as people look to heat their homes in the dropping temperatures.

During the warmer months, the hours of available government electricity was nearer 20 hours. However, as temperatures continue to decrease, the hours have now decreased to 14.

Officials warn that the hours of national electricity could decrease to four hours a day during the coldest months of winter as demands increase during dropping temperatures.

Last winter the ministry of electricity could provide only six hours of national electricity to the people.

The director of electricity distribution in Sulaimani, Salar Hasamadin, told NRT on Saturday (November 19) that the production of electricity has worsened this year compared to previous years.

“Our stations cannot provide the people with electricity,” Hasamadin said. “This is a warning for the government to provide kerosene to the people in these [next] 15 days.”

The production of electricity in the Kurdistan Region is currently 2,400 megawatts, while 5,500 megawatts are necessary for the population to cover their needs.

A resident in Sulaimani said the issue of electricity is only to “make people busy.” “There is electricity. Why did they send electricity outside during the conflict with the Islamic State?”

Another resident in the city added the electricity has become like “traffic lights, people don’t know when [they will have] electricity.”

The insufficient power supply is not new in the Kurdistan Region. Residents suffering from power shortages have relied increasingly on neighborhood generators to make up for regular cuts in government-provided power.

The electricity issue in the region has continued for the past decade despite continued efforts and promises from Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials to solve the issue.

KRG senior officials’ have promised to work with the private sector to tackle the region’s frequent power shortages. The ministry of electricity said last August that it had plans to privatize its electricity sector to help the region improve usage and distribution of electricity.

http://www.nrttv.com/EN/Details.aspx?Jimare=17566