Petroleum Science studies enter university curriculum

23 October 2013 03:31 am Views - 3446

The University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka (UGC) with the support of the country’s state-run petroleum exploration unit, Petroleum Resource Development Secretariat (PRDS) announced the commencement of Petroleum Sciences degrees at the Peradeniya, Moratuwa and Sri Jayawardenapura Universities yesterday.

“The development of undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in Petroleum Sciences and Engineering at our universities is an important part of efforts to cater to the growing manpower needs of this important new industry.

It is crucial that key stakeholders work in concert to promote a positive outcome over the short and long-term. Capacity building will be an important factor in this respect and the UGC is committed towards achieving these objectives,” UGC Vice Cha irman, Prof. Ranjith Senaratne said.

Meanwhile Cairn Sri Lanka, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cairn India, the only operator so far licensed to carry out Petroleum Exploration in Sri Lanka, donated advanced exploration equipment while Schlumberger, currently the world’s largest oilfield services company donated companion software to the University of Moratuwa.

“With next round bidding results coming out on November 29th, the country has to be ready to deal with the rapidly evolving changes that will come along with the Petroleum industry growth.

This will have impacts in legal, logistics and transportation sectors to name a few, but with it will be the need for a strong capacity building programme,” PRDS Director General Saliya Wickramasuriya noted.

He further said that the country still lacks many of the physical and institutional infrastructures necessary for the development of the Petroleum Industry in Sri Lanka. “Our goal is to ensure Sri Lanka’s energy security while making sure the industry benefits are equitably distributed at all levels of society while maintaining transparency and serving as a model for the global industry.

In order to achieve these goals, we are currently focusing on the development of institutional infrastructure and capacity building. The commitment from both the UGC and Cairn in this respect is a clear indication of the industry’s potential. In fact PRDS has put employment and worldwide deployment of Sri Lankan graduates by oil and gas companies high on the list of Local Content development priorities,” Wickramasuriya stated.

Additionally, he noted that the availability of Petroleum Studies, from vocational to postgraduate courses would also provide many opportunities for Sri Lanka to export Petroleum services.

Though petroleum exploration in Sri Lanka dates back to 1960’s, the first hydro carbon strike was recorded end of 2011 in a well drilled by Cairn India in the Mannar Basin.