The Gazprom Headquarters hosted today a working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee and Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka.

The parties addressed the Russian-Lankan cooperation prospects in the petroleum sector. An emphasis was placed on Gazprom’s possible engagement in hydrocarbons development offshore Sri Lanka.

Background:

Biomass fuel (48.02 per cent of total energy consumption) and oil import (44.38 per cent) underlie Sri Lanka’s energy sector. The hydropower plants located in the country’s central region generate electric power in a small amount (7.56 per cent) and a minimum amount (0.04 per cent) is produced from the alternative energy sources.

The country’s fuel and energy sector is regulated by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Power and Energy and the state-owned Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).

According to the Sri Lankan Government, there are indigenous energy resources in the Republic. By now, eight petroleum blocks have been identified in the Mannar Basin off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka.