A proposal by private Kurdish firm Kar to take over two power plants in southern Iraq’s Basra province has caused political uproar as members of Iraq’s parliament hurried to denounce the sell-off of “state assets.” This comes as political competition heats up ahead of Iraq’s critical parliamentary elections planned in October.

Kar’s most prominent role is as operator of the 160,000 b/d Khurmala Dome of the Kirkuk field in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region. It also contentiously operated Kirkuk’s Avana Dome and the nearby Bai Hassan field between 2014 and 2017 until federal forces reclaimed them from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). (CONTINUED - 1163 WORDS)