Changing Energy Landscape
The Foreign Affairs journal published by the US Council on Foreign Relations is a ‘highly’ respected newsletter in spite of its partiality towards broader US security interests and its animosity towards rival countries such as China, Iran, Russia and the like. In its December 2012 volume a detailed description of how the current energy map of the ‘world is being redrawn’ has been vividly analysed.

The Pathfinder Foundation’s (PF) previous Energy Alert concluded that the key challenge for Sri Lanka’s energy security was to reduce its dependence on imported oil while containing energy costs in the economy. These twin objectives can best be achieved by maximizing the benefits from the natural gas discoveries in the Mannar basin.

As a first step, two articles will be published on: (1) the broad landscape connected with Sri Lanka’s energy security; and (2) issues to be addressed to attain the twin objectives of energy security and reduced cost of power, following the discovery of commercial quantities of natural gas in the Mannar basin. This article sets out the background landscape.