The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will begin calling for proposals this month to select an investor to extract and use the natural gas resources of the Mannar Basin, the state fuel entity’s managing director says.
Dr. Mayura Neththikumara said the presence of natural gas in the basin, which lies off Sri Lanka’s north-western coast, has been scientifically confirmed by the Sri Lanka Petroleum Development Authority.
The process will be carried out with the approval of the Procurement Committee, he said. Prospective investors will be given approximately five months to submit their applications.
The announcement sets a timetable for commercialising a find that has so far remained undeveloped, and marks a step from exploration towards selecting a commercial partner to bring the resource into production.
Domestic gas would give Sri Lanka a home-produced fuel for electricity generation. The country currently relies on imported coal and oil for a substantial share of its power alongside hydropower, and the Cabinet this week approved the purchase of 2.28 million metric tonnes of imported coal for the Norochcholai plant over the 2026/2027 period.
CPC did not indicate a timeline for production, and the volume of the confirmed reserves was not disclosed. No date has been announced for the award of the contract once the five-month application window closes.
