The Sri Lankan cabinet has approved the exploration of the Eastern coast by the French oil company, Total, after the bid went for open tender following the end of Cairn India's exploration from Mannar basin, reports the Sunday Times.
"The company would gain exclusive rights for scanning, data collection and mapping in the seas off the Eastern coast," the power and energy ministry secretary B M S Batagoda was quoted as saying.
Bids were also received from Shell and ExonMobil.
Commenting on the departure of Cairn India's Sri Lanka branch from the Mannar basin, Dr Batagoda said:
“However, the two wells in the basin had yielded two trillion cubic metres of natural gas which would be sufficient to meet the demand of the country for ten years."
See more here.
Last month Dr Batagoda said the government would propose a business plan to develop the China Bay oil storage facility in Trincomalee with Indian assistance, with the aim to make the town a regional petroleum hub. See more here.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
