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Sri Lanka rejects immediate LNG imports by India due to infrastructure problems

The energy minister of Sri Lanka said that the country has no immediate plans for importing liquefied gas from India as the infrastructure, including storage facilities, is still being built.

India announced last summer that it would provide LNG to Sri Lankan power plants, and also work on a cross-border energy connection including a pipeline for petroleum and a power grid link.

Despite the lack of progress in the LNG supply, there is still a long way to go.

"First, we have to build the storage facility. The construction has not yet begun," said Sri Lankan energy minister Kumara Jayakody on the sidelines of Confederation of Indian Industry’s energy summit, held in New Delhi.

He said that Sri Lanka has not yet finalised the LNG contract with India.

After the completion of construction, it will take at least 3 years for the storage infrastructure to be completed. Imports can then begin.

He said that while discussions about building storage took place under the former government, no contracts had been signed.

Jayakody stated, "We are evaluating earlier content and determining the location. We will also be evaluating loan and pricing issues."

Last year, the state-run Indian firm Petronet LNG signed a contract to supply LNG for power plants of Sri Lankan engineering company LTL Holdings in Colombo.

The Minister said that both countries had formed a joint team to prepare a prospective report on the work planned for developing a trans-border transmission system between southern India and the north of the island. (Reporting and Editing by Shri Navaratnam).

(source: Reuters)