Eight foreign companies, including from India and Singapore have expressed interest in oil and gas exploration in the Mannar basin, the former Director General of the Petroleum Resource Development Secretariat, Saliya Wickramasuriya said.
If the bids were successful "Sri Lanka stands to benefit", Mr Wickramasuriya was quoted by the Sunday Leader as saying.
Cairn India stopped natural gas exploration in Mannar in 2015 after the petroleum price dropped internationally.
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.