Sri Lanka, Gazprom talk oil exploration

Science News

Published: Feb. 9, 2010

MOSCOW, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The president of Sri Lanka spoke with Gazprom officials in Moscow to discuss a possible Russian role in exploring the offshore potential in the Asian country.

Alexei Miller, the chief executive at Gazprom, welcomed Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss cooperation in the Sri Lankan petroleum sector.

Emphasis was placed on engagement in the offshore potential in the Central Asian country.

Sri Lanka relies on oil imports to meet its domestic demand for electricity and transportation. The government in 2003 agreed on petroleum measures to allow foreign and private investors access to its offshore oil and gas fields.

Rajapaksa said during his meeting in Moscow that there are eight petroleum blocks in the offshore Mannar Basin.

Preliminary estimates suggest there could be as much as 1 billion barrels of oil in the Mannar Basin off the northwest coast of Sri Lanka.