SL LIKELY TO COMMISSION PLANT IN 2023 - PRDS

300 MW gas powered power plant

Asenior official of the Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat (PRDS) yesterday claimed that Sri Lanka would be in a position to commission a gas powered power plant with a 300 MWS capacity by 2023, exploiting indigenous LNG resources.

Director General of the PRDS, Wajira Dassanayaka said a seismic data survey carried out in the M2 block of the Mannar Basin in Eastern Sri Lanka had established that a natural gas deposit of 350 billion cubic feet is available for commercial exploitation.

“This is the first discovery of natural gas anywhere in offshore Sri Lanka. The gas deposits are sufficient to operate an LNG powered power plant for 20 years,” Mr. Dassanayaka told reporters yesterday at the Petroleum Resources Development Ministry.

Mr. Dassanayaka said the hydro carbon exploration based physical activity launched in early September had brought satisfactory results and the target was

This is the first discovery of natural gas anywhere in offshore Sri Lanka. The gas deposits are sufficient to operate an LNG powered power plant for 20 years

to strike oil and gas for commercial exploitation by 2023 and the current survey would be the largest of its kind undertaken in Sri Lanka. “A seismic survey has been conducted for hydrocarbon exploration by the Seismic Vessel BGP Pioneer owned by the Eastern Echo DMCC which is a fully owned subsidiary of Schlumberger - France, the world’s largest oil field services company.

This is the largest ever 2D seismic survey conducted in Sri Lanka, acquiring more than 5,000 Line km of data in an area of more than 100,000 square kilometres”, Mr. Dassanayaka said.

The survey has covered the ultra-deep water blocks JS5 and JS6 in the eastern offshore areas of Sri Lanka, where the Government has a joint study agreement with the French Oil and Gas Super Major Total, he added. PIC BY PRADEEP

DILRUKSHANA