RNS Number:0247P
Northern Petroleum PLC
26 August 2003


26 August 2003
                                  Northern Petroleum Plc
                                      ("Northern")


                             Avington-2 Oil Discovery Update


Northern Petroleum Plc announces that drilling of the Great Oolite oil reservoir
has now been terminated at the oil discovery well, Avington-2, and the drilling
rig has been de-mobilised from the site.


The well is currently undergoing completion works, in preparation for production
testing using temporary facilities. Testing is expected to commence in four
weeks from now.


The well encountered the top of the oil bearing reservoir formation 150 feet
higher than the untested oil column found in the Avington-1 well drilled in
1987. After stimulation with acid, unstabilised flow rates up to 250 bopd
(barrels of oil per day) were tested in the pilot hole sufficient to justify
drilling the horizontal section. The horizontal well flowed during drilling at
various unstabilised rates. These were sufficient to justify completion of the
well. At this stage the horizontal section still awaits stimulation with acid,
which can normally be expected to significantly enhance flow rates. The initial
sampling indicates a crude oil of 38 degree API.


An application is being made to the Department of Trade and Industry for
permission to conduct an extended production test to provide data necessary for
a full assessment of the potential of the discovery, as all flow rate data to
date has been from tests of short duration without awaiting stabilisation of
flow rates.


Northern holds a 5% interest in the oil field and licence PEDL 070 through its
wholly owned subsidiary company, Northern Petroleum (GB) Limited.


Mr Derek Musgrove, Managing Director said


"The initial results during drilling of the horizontal section exceed our
expectations from an unstimulated hole.


Pentex Oil UK Limited, the Operator, has been quoted in the Scottish press
saying that the find is 30% larger than its Stockbridge oil field 15 miles away.
Whilst this may be a premature conclusion we are, nevertheless, delighted at the
success at Avington. It has increased our confidence and reinforced our belief
in the evaluation techniques recently developed by Northern Petroleum for
analysing the Great Oolite reservoir formation.


We have at least seven further prospects in Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle
of Wight, all based upon past wells which encountered oil columns in the Great
Oolite, as in Avington-1. The importance to us at Northern is that we have 40%
to 50% interests in those prospects and for which we are the Operator."


For further information please call Derek Musgrove, Managing Director or Graham
Heard, Exploration Manager on 020 7743 6080 or Chris Roberts at Hansard
Communications on 020 7245 1100.






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