He said that the petroleum ministry has put forward a proposal to the Cabinet of ministers seeking approval to invite for oil exploration tenders in three more blocks.
Fowzie said: “Very soon we’ll call for tenders for more blocks in the Mannar Basin.
“The last time the war was on and the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam separatists) were operating in the area. So it was very risky. But now we expect more interest.”
In 2008, Sri Lanka’s call for tenders to explore for oil in the Mannar Basin drew only limited response.
But government forces defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009 and increased expectations of a revival in foreign investment.
