Colombo, Oct 3 (IANS) Cairn India has discovered Sri Lanka’s first gas field off its northwestern coast in the Sea of Mannar, Xinhua reported.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced the discovery at a public event in Kandy Sunday.
This was the first time the existence of a gas field in the country has been confirmed.
Cairn Lanka, a subsidiary of Cairn India, has been drilling in the Sea of Mannar as part of an agreement with Sri Lanka.
Colombo has offered exploration blocks to India and China to search for oil and gas in the Mannar basin. Cairn Lanka has drilled three wells there since August this year.
‘Further drilling will be required to establish the commercial viability of the discovery,’ Cairn said in a statement.
