Sri Lanka has launched its 2026 petroleum licensing round, offering qualified international companies four offshore exploration blocks covering almost 34,000 km² in the Mannar Basin.
The acreage lies within Sri Lanka’s most established offshore petroleum basin, where earlier drilling confirmed a working petroleum system and encountered natural gas and condensate. Nevertheless, the basin remains comparatively underexplored, leaving considerable scope for further seismic interpretation, play evaluation and prospect maturation.
Through round SL2026-01, the Petroleum Development Authority of Sri Lanka aims to attract companies with the technical and financial capabilities required to evaluate and responsibly develop the country’s offshore resources.
