RNS Number:7225O
Northern Petroleum PLC
15 August 2003


Immediate release
15 August 2003


                             Northern Petroleum Plc


 Acquisition of New UK Onshore Licence Interest next to Avington Oil Discovery


Northern Petroleum Petroleum Plc ("Northern") announces that it's wholly owned
subsidiary Northern (GB) Limited has exercised an option to acquire a 5%
interest in UK licences PEDL 069 and PEDL 110 from Sterling Resources (UK)
Limited ("Sterling") the Operator of the licences. Northern will reimburse
Sterling for their past costs for the 5% interest. These licences are adjacent
to the Avington oil discovery where the Avington - 2 well, in which Northern
holds a 5% interest, is currently drilling a horizontal section to increase
reservoir drainage and flow rates. Based on the interpretation of the results to
date from both the Avington-1 and Avington-2 wells, Northern considers an
additional oil accumulation could exist. The licences also contain other
exploration prospects in the same reservoir.


The partners in the two licences are Sterling, Egdon Resources (U.K.) Limited
and YCI Resources Limited.


The transaction is subject to the approval of the Department of Trade and
Industry.


Mr Derek Musgrove, Managing Director of Northern, stated "We have been acquiring
licences with re-interpreted logged oil discoveries for some time. Avington - 2
was an opportunity to test our ideas at a low exposure cost. It worked and now
we are proceeding to further increase our licence interests to support our work.


The real value of Avington to Northern lies in the confidence it adds to the our
plans for drilling Sandhills -2 next year, (40% Northern) and several prospects
of a similar nature in licences PEDL 125 and 126 in Hampshire and West Sussex.
As I have said before, Avington may be the first oil discovery in the area since
1987 but I do not think that it will be the last."


For further information please contact Derek Musgrove, Managing Director or
Graham Heard, Exploration Manager of Northern Petroleum Plc on 020 7743 6080 or
Chris Roberts of Hansard Communications on 020 7245 1100. Further information on
Northern Petroleum Plc is available via our website www.northpet.com.






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