Colomo, Oct 2 (IANS) Sri Lanka announced Sunday that explorers had found a gas field in the northwestern sea of the country.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa made the announcement at a public event in Kandy in central Sri Lanka.
He said the gas field was found in the sea of Mannar and this was the first time the existence of a gas field in the country has been confirmed, reported Xinhua.
An Indian company involved in exploring discovered the gas field, the presidential office said.
Cairn Lanka, a subsidiary of Cairn India, has been drilling in the sea of Mannar as part of a deal with the Sri Lankan government.
Sri Lanka had offered blocks to India and China to explore for gas and oil after the Sri Lankan authorities said they believed there was oil and gas under the sea in the Mannar basin.
A drillship had been used to drill three wells in the Mannar basin in Sri Lanka since August this year by Cairn Lanka.
‘Further drilling will be required to establish the commerciality of the discovery,’ Cairn said in a statement.
