Petroceltic (LSE:PCI)
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RNS Number : 3600I

Petroceltic International PLC

25 March 2015

Dublin

25 March 2015

Petroceltic International Plc

Kurdistan Region of Iraq Operational Update

Petroceltic International plc (AIM: PCI) ("Petroceltic" or the "Company"), the oil and gas exploration, development and production company focused on the Middle East, North Africa and Mediterranean regions, today provides an update with respect to its operations in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

As previously announced on 15 January, drilling operations on the Shireen-1 exploration well in the Dinarta licence (Hess Middle East New Ventures ("Hess") (Operator) 64%, Petroceltic 16%, and the Kurdistan Regional Government 20%) encountered significant operational challenges since the resumption of drilling on 2 October 2014. The well reached a maximum depth of 1430m in Jurassic formations on 26 December 2014 before being suspended while forward options were reviewed by the Operator. This review concluded that an additional well would be required to further evaluate the exploration potential of the Shireen prospect, and that further operational difficulties could not be ruled out.

In light of the current low oil price environment, lack of conclusive well results to date and the limited time remaining in the current period of the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for the Dinarta licence, Hess and Petroceltic have jointly elected to withdraw from the Dinarta licence without any further drilling. All PSC work program obligations have been fulfilled other than the required final remediation of the well sites.

Brian O'Cathain, Chief Executive of Petroceltic commented:

"Petroceltic's strategy remains clearly focussed on delivering from its core producing and development assets, whilst maintaining balanced exposure to longer term exploration led growth wherever possible. In light of this, and the current oil price environment, the decision to withdraw from Kurdistan is the right one for the business."

Ends

For further information, please contact:

   Brian O' Cathain /Tom Hickey, Petroceltic International        Tel: +353 (1) 421 8300 
   Philip Dennis / Rollo Crichton-Stuart, Bell Pottinger              Tel: +44 (20) 3772 2500 
   Douglas Keatinge / Joe Heron, Murray Consultants              Tel: +353 (1) 498 0300 
   John Frain / Roland French, Davy                                          Tel: +353 (1) 679 6363 

Dr. Dermot Corcoran, Head of Exploration, Petroceltic International plc, and the qualified person as defined in the AIM Note for Mining and Oil and Gas Companies, June 2009, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this announcement. Dr. Corcoran has a B.Sc in Geology, a M.Sc. in Geophysics, and a Masters degree in Business Administration, all from the National University of Ireland, Galway. He also holds a Ph.D in Geology from Trinity College, Dublin. Dr. Corcoran has over 20 years experience in oil & gas exploration and production, and has previously worked at ExxonMobil, the Petrofina Group, and Statoil.

Notes to Editors:

Petroceltic International plc is a leading Upstream Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Company, focused on North Africa, Mediterranean and Black Sea Regions, and listed on the London Stock Exchange's AIM Market and the Irish Stock Exchange's ESM Market. The Company has production, exploration and development assets in Algeria, Egypt, Bulgaria, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Italy.

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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