Meridian has acquired the Old South Royalty lease in the centre of a defined
area for potential production form the Lower Tuscaloosa oil sands. In order to
develop this position further the Company has commenced acquisition of seismic
leases with an option to drill in some 800 acres around the old South Royalty
lease. The Company is finalizing an agreement to shoot 3D seismic with a
Houston based partner over the entire acreage position, possibly in the 3rd or
4th quarter. Utilization of 3D seismic will minimize dry hole risk by the
clearer identification of the sand channels initially identified by the Company
with the re processing of the original 2D seismic lines.
The Company is currently reviewing seismic and additional technical data on its
Mississippi projects - North Hustler Field, North West Summit, Grishams Branch
and Cotton Creek - with a view to farming out the projects in the first quarter
of 2007.