After Indian Oil Corporation, state-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation is planning to take over petrol stations in Sri Lanka, company chairman and managing director S Behuria said on Friday.

"We certainly will be bidding," he told PTI in New Delhi.

Sri Lanka has invited expression of interest by August 5 from oil companies to sell state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corp's 100 petrol stations.

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"We are keen on expanding our retail presence outside India, and Sri Lanka presents a good opportunity," he said.

BPCL plans to fuel the petrol stations in the Island nation from its subsidiary Kochi Refineries Ltd in Kerala.

Like BPCL, Mumbai-based Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd too is planning a bid for the Sri Lankan retail opportunity. It plans to export petrol and diesel from its Vizag refinery in Andhra Pradesh.

"Sri Lanka is within the supply zone of the coastal refineries," Behuria said.

Earlier this year, the country's largest refiner Indian Oil Corp had bought 100 petrol stations from Ceypetco and plans to add another 150 by the year-end.

Sri Lanka, which currently has Ceypetco and Indian Oil selling fuel, has offered its one-third retail facilities to the new entrant.

Caltex Lubricants Lanka Ltd, a unit of ChevronTexaco, Shell Gas Lanka Ltd and Petronas of Malaysia are reported to be interested in entering the retail fuel market in the island nation.

IOC exports fuel to Sri Lanka from Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Ltd.

Sri Lanka needs 3.4 million tonnes of petroleum products a year and has a refining capacity of about 2.2 million tonnes. It imports about 1.2 million tonnes of product annually.

Behuria said BPCL exported 0.10 million tonnes of products in the first quarter of current fiscal. Last year (2002-03), the company had exported 0.46 million tonnes.