mal schaun, wo das nun hinläuft.
in fereudiger Erwartung,
Nussriegel 
REG-Falkland Islands Hlg < FKL.L> Re FOGL
03.05.05 08:05
.
RNS Number:7721L
Falkland Islands Holdings PLC
03 May 2005
Tuesday 3rd May 2005
Falkland Islands Holdings plc
The following announcement was made by Falkland Oil and Gas Limited this
morning. Falkland Islands Holdings owns 18% of Falkland Oil and Gas Limited.
Falkland Oil and Gas Limited
(" FOGL" or " the company" )
Significant increase in number of identified leads
Enhanced possibility of a new petroleum province in the South and East Falkland
Basins
FOGL announces that it has completed its current 9,450 km 2D seismic data
acquisition programme over most of its licence area. The initial interpretation
of the preliminary processed records from the survey has proved encouraging and
greatly exceeds the Company's initial expectations. The programme has indicated a larger and more diverse project than originally anticipated and has identified numerous possible drill targets, with indications
that some could potentially be of significant size.
FOGL has now identified approximately 130 leads,(1) far in excess of the eight
(8) leads identified at the time of its AIM IPO in October 2004. Given the
positive results of the survey, FOGL now plans to increase the scope of its
exploration programme far beyond that envisaged at the time of the IPO.
Key points:
- Approximately 130 leads identified, a number of which appear capable of
containing recoverable reserves in excess of 200 million barrels
- FOGL now represents a larger and more diverse project than originally
anticipated
- Encouraging signs that oil and gas could be present
- Further work is planned targeting defining 20 drillable prospects by
about mid-2006
- FOGL is targeting drilling of the first well in 2007
- Already an enhanced possibility of project success
- Licences cover area equivalent to the North Sea Southern Gas Basin and Central Graben
- Cash position of £10.9 million as at 31 March 2005. FOGL is evaluating
its funding requirements and the source of funds for the increased exploration
programme
John Armstrong, Executive Chairman of FOGL, said:
" In my opinion, this is the most exciting project I've seen for many years. The
results of the 2D seismic are encouraging; the number of leads identified has
far exceeded our most optimistic estimates and we believe it has greatly
enhanced FOGL's prospects. It is clear that the scope of work needed to
maximise the potential of our acreages has increased significantly.
" It is important to remember that, while the leads identified to date each have
seismic expression which indicates the possible presence of a drillable
prospect, when fully mapped, and with the benefit of further data, such leads
may not have all the characteristics necessary to become drillable prospects.
Nevertheless, the large number of leads distributed across several playtypes
suggests that a number of the leads could become technically sound and
potentially economically viable drill prospects. It is the Company's goal to
identify and define 20 such prospects in the immediate future so that they can
be considered for drilling in 2007.
" We have made a lot of progress in the six months since our AIM IPO and the
results to date have been remarkable. Although there is a long way to go, it
now seems quite possible that the Falkland Islands could become a new petroleum
province by the end of the decade."
Hydrocarbon Indicators
Initial interpretation of the new data gives considerable cause for optimism.
The preliminary results of the survey identify numerous Direct Hydrocarbon
Indicators (DHI's) pointing to the presence of working petroleum systems. The
DHI's include gas chimneys, amplitudes and possibly gas hydrates. The leads are
large and diverse, with some leads possibly covering areas of 300 to 500 sq km,
sufficient to hold large reserves of oil or gas. There is also a wide range of
play types with several different styles identified.
Exploration Programme & Funding Arrangements
FOGL plans to conduct further seismic surveys targeting all the leads but with
particular emphasis on the approximately 50 most promising. The aim will be to
develop 20 high quality, technically sound and potentially economically viable
drilling prospects. The Company then intends to develop a multi-well drilling
programme which may be able to begin in 2007.
Full details of the exploration programme are still to be finalised but given
the increased number of identified leads the company expects to expand
significantly the scope of the exploration programme.
Although FOGL had net cash of £10.9 million as at 31 March 2005, the increased
scope of the programme will require additional funding and the Board is
currently considering its options. A further statement on the funding
arrangements and the full details of the programme will be announced soon.
Potential Resources
The extent and depth of the basin suggests that, if it exists, the hydrocarbon
resource could be of a major scale. According to estimates by MBA Petroleum
Consultants, an independent consultant, 1,250 billion barrels of oil / oil
equivalent could have been generated in and in the vicinity of FOGL's licences.
Scott Pickford, petroleum engineers, made an independent assessment of the
initial eight (8) leads and concluded that each had the potential to contain
between 200 million and 600 million barrels of recoverable oil(2). It is
expected that Scott Pickford will be contracted to repeat the process and make
an independent judgement on the potential resources indicated by the new data.
Its findings will be announced on completion of the processing and
interpretation which is expected to be in the third quarter of this year.
An overview presentation will be posted on the FOGL website giving a summary of
the results announced here. Technical information including maps and seismic
lines will be posted on the Company's website in the near future.
www.fogl.co.uk
Enquiries:
FOGL
John Armstrong, Executive Chairman + 61 (0) 7 3211 1122 (+9 hrs GMT)
David Hudd, Deputy Chairman 07771 893 267
College Hill 020 7457 2020
Ben Brewerton
(1) a 'lead' is a feature that requires further technical appraisal prior
to a decision to drill
(2) P50 recoverable oil as estimated by Scott Pickford, a consultancy
specialising in geology, petroleum engineering and economic analyses, in 2004
(IPO Prospectus)
Notes to Editors
Falkland Oil and Gas Limited (" FOGL" ) is an oil and gas exploration company
focused exclusively on opportunities offshore of the Falkland Islands. It was
admitted to London's Alternative Investment Market (" AIM" ) on 14 October 2004 at
an issue price of 40p. The current major shareholders of FOGL are: Falkland
Islands Holdings plc (18%), Global Petroleum (16%) and RAB Capital plc (31%).
At the time of the admission to AIM, FOGL held a 77.5% interest in seven
offshore production licences covering approximately 33,700 sq km to the south
and east of the Falkland Islands. FOGL holds these licences in a joint venture
with Hardman Resources. In December 2004, FOGL was awarded a 100% licence over
an additional 50,000 sq kms adjacent to its existing licence areas. The 83,700
sq km area held by FOGL is equivalent to 380 North Sea blocks: as large as the
Southern Gas Basin and the Central Graben combined.
www.fogl.co.uk
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