First Airborne oil exploration survey in Sri Lanka

 

For the first time in Sri Lanka, airborne oil exploration in the Mannar and Cauvery basins have begun, the Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat of Sri Lanka (PRDS) announced.

This was reveled at a media press briefing conducted yesterday headed by Minister Udaya Gammanpila.

Hon. Minister of Energy, Udaya Gammanpila Hon. State Minister of Aviation and Development of Export Zones, D.V. Chanaka Representatives of Ministry of Energy Representatives of Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat Representatives of Bell Geospace present at the briefing.

Speaking at the media briefing in Colombo yesterday, Minister Udaya Gammanpila said, according to the agreement signed between Sri Lanka and Bell Geospace, Sri Lanka will benefit three ways from collecting data form the exploration. 

1. The PRDS will get Full Tensor Gradiometry (FTG), Gravity and Magnetics data set in subsurface areas where there is limited or no data, without incurring any cost to the Government,

2. The Government will get an incremental percentage of data sales revenue on survey cost recovery basis, and

3. Most importantly, Bell Geospace will run international marketing campaigns on Sri Lankan frontier petroleum areas as well as petroleum potential and in return attracting established oil and gas companies to Sri Lanka.

“It is also a foreign exchange generating project,” he added.

He also mentioned that, Bell Geospace work program is regulated mainly through the PRDS, the lead agency responsible for the petroleum explorations in Sri Lanka. Meantime, Ministry of Defense approval and the Civil Aviation Authority clearances have been awarded to execute the airborne survey. Especially, the key government stake holders of this survey, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Department of Immigration & Emigration, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) extend their fullest corporations besides the Covid -19 pandemic outbreak of the country.

Source PRDS