Rebwar Fattah – Activists
Electricity is not a luxury. It is a fundamental right — a public service essential for education, healthcare, economic productivity, and basic human dignity. And yet, in the Kurdistan Region, this right is being rebranded and sold under the name of modernization. The “Ronakî Project,” introduced as a plan to provide 24-hour electricity, has been marketed as a solution for energy shortages and service instability. But behind the rhetoric lies a concerning reality: this is not a public service enhancement — it is a sophisticated scheme that monetizes necessity, exploits the poor, and evades public accountability.
Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani has publicly endorsed the project, claiming that it was created to benefit low-income citizens. However, Talabani’s statements raise more questions than answers. He has shown little knowledge of the pricing model, implementation plan, or financial structure of the project. Despite this, he continues to defend it in the media — without data, transparency, or logical grounding.
Let us look at the numbers. The average cost for the government to produce, distribute, maintain, and operate electricity stands at around 108 Iraqi dinars per kilowatt-hour (kWh). In contrast, the Ronakî Project charges between 165 to 350 IQD per kWh, depending on consumption — more than triple the government’s production cost. In some cases, a household that consumes more than 400 kWh per month (a modest amount for a family of five) pays nearly five times the base rate. All of this, we are told, is for the “benefit of the poor.”
But it gets worse. Electricity bills under the project are calculated in 45-day cycles, and any unpaid amount can result in immediate disconnection. This is not energy provision — it is a trap, especially for low-income families living paycheck to paycheck. A growing number of citizens now refer to the project as “a landlord in disguise”, due to its invasive financial enforcement.
Even more troubling is the lack of oversight. Although Talabani holds one of the highest offices in the government, the Ronakî Project is not managed by his team. It is being executed by private actors with no known affiliation to public administration, operating without consultation, transparency, or scrutiny. What exactly are their long-term goals? Who funds them? Who benefits from this revenue stream? These questions remain unanswered.
We are told that an additional $200 million will be spent to convert government institutions — and eventually homes — to solar power. In principle, this sounds visionary. In practice, it risks becoming another tool of financial pressure on citizens. Households may soon be required to adopt solar systems at their own expense, funded by public money and controlled by private contractors. It is a textbook case of privatized gain and socialized cost.
It must be said plainly: this is not reform. This is a shift from governance to commodification, from public service to private profit. The Kurdistan Region already suffers from a deep gap between income and living costs. Electricity — a daily necessity — is now a flashpoint of that inequality.
Rather than vague endorsements, what the public deserves is clarity. Just as Prime Minister Masrour Barzani initiated the “My Account” program to track public funds, Qubad Talabani must take similar initiative. He must launch a comprehensive financial investigation into the Ronakî Project: how much profit is generated, where that money goes, and who holds decision-making power.
This moment demands more than technical fixes. It requires moral clarity. A government must not profit from the suffering of its people. A right must not be turned into a luxury. And a deputy prime minister must not remain uninformed about policies that shape the lives of millions.
Electricity should illuminate homes — not darken the hopes of those who cannot afford it.
