Preeni Withanage

Preeni Withanage
OccupationMechanical engineer
EmployerPetroleum Development Authority of Sri Lanka
TitleDirector National Development

D. T. K. Preeni Withanage is a chartered mechanical engineer and petroleum sector official in Sri Lanka. She serves as the Director National Development at the Petroleum Development Authority of Sri Lanka (PDASL). Earlier in her career, she worked in manufacturing technology at the National Engineering Research and Development Centre (NERD) and later in Sri Lanka's upstream petroleum sector.

Career

Withanage headed the Centre for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) at the National Engineering Research and Development Centre (NERD). The centre had been established to provide technological support to Sri Lankan industry in areas including precision manufacturing, die and mould production, computer aided design and manufacturing, research and development, and technical training.

Since 2009, she has been serving as Director National Development at the Petroleum Development Authority of Sri Lanka, where her work included resource monetisation, local content development, contract management, fiscal modelling and the coordination of operational and environmental authorisations for Sri Lanka's upstream petroleum sector.

Withanage later became involved in Sri Lanka's petroleum and natural gas policy. In 2017, she took part in consultations on the country's long term electricity generation plan, helping to plan the electricity generation policy of Sri Lanka from 2018 to 2037.

In 2018 and 2019, she was involved in plans for new offshore exploration licensing rounds covering the Mannar and Cauvery basins. She also proposed a natural gas fund to manage potential government revenues from offshore hydrocarbon resources and development of a national natural gas policy. She was involved in drafting the national natural gas policy framework covering the natural gas value chain, private sector participation, public consultation and implementation of the policy.

Withanage was listed as a “Role Player” by the World Women Leadership Congress in 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "About". Petroleum Development Authority of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  2. ↑ "Team". Sri Lanka Licensing Round 2026. Petroleum Development Authority of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 Perera, Quintus (16 February 2003). "NERD sets up Centre for Manufacturing Excellence". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  4. ↑ Withanage, P. (2015). Technical capacity building in the Sri Lanka's upstream oil and gas sector through progressive LC policy reforms. University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
  5. ↑ Wettasinghe, Chandeepa (20 June 2017). "CEB's long-term generation plan biased against LNG: experts". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  6. ↑ "Sri Lanka's electricity generation plan 2018-2037". Daily FT. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "Govt. to call for new oil, gas exploration bids". Daily Mirror. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "11 companies bid for Mannar oil basin | Tamil Guardian". www.tamilguardian.com. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  9. ↑ "Natural gas fund proposed for Sri Lankan hydrocarbon deposit earnings". EconomyNext. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "SL plans major licensing round for oil and gas blocks". Daily Mirror. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "Advocating Natural Gas Policy in Sri Lanka". Echelon. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "World Women Leadership Congress & Awards® | Women Leaders Awards | World Women Conference | Women Event". www.worldwomenleadershipcongress.org. Retrieved 2026-09-26.