| Hansa Hydrocarbons farms in to German North Sea |
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2nd March 2009 Hansa Hydrocarbons farms in to German North Sea - Licence B20 8/71Hansa Hydrocarbons Limited ("Hansa") has agreed to farm-in to Wintershall Holding AG's ("Wintershall") Licence B20 008/71 covering Blocks H15, H16, H17, H18, L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 (the "H & L Blocks") in the German sector of the Southern North Sea. Completion is subject to the receipt of German government consent.Under the terms of the farm-out agreement, Hansa will earn a 20% working interest in the H & L Blocks in return for contributing on a promoted basis to the cost of a well to appraise the L1-Alpha discovery, scheduled to commence in late 2009. Wintershall will remain as operator and will retain a 40% working interest in the licence following a concurrent assignment of 40% to GdF Suez E & P Deutschland GmbH. The H & L Blocks cover an area of 2240 km2 and contains several discoveries but due to a poor understanding of sand distribution and significant nitrogen presence, the area remains relatively under explored with no drilling activity for over 30 years. The L1-Alpha discover was made in 19875 and proved gas in the Lower Rotliegendes sandstones with commercially acceptable levels of nitrogen. John Martin, Hansa Hydrocarbon's CEO, said: "Entry into the H & L Blocks allows us to gain an important foothold in an under-exploited area of the North Sea where new technical insights can realise significant potential. We are delighted to be partnering with Wintershall, a leading operator across the Southern North Sea and who have an excellent regional knowledge of the area. At a time of uncertainty for European gas supply and lack of capital available to the energy sector, this farm-in is a timely reminder of the strength of our business plan and we look forward to building on our portfolio further in 2009". Contact: Hansa Hydrocarbons John Martin, Patrick Kennedy or Simon Lunn +44 (0) 20 7836 9980 Aquila Financial Limited Peter Reilly +44 (0)118 979 4100 About Hansa Hydrocarbons: Based in London, England, Hansa Hydrocarbons aims to grow a material high-value business from exploiting the remaining potential for gas across the prolific Permian Basin that extends from the Southern North Sea through onshore Northern Europe. This is at a time when there are real concerns over energy security given declining domestic production and limited availability of capital. Within the context of the increasingly favorable market environment for smaller gas developments, the target portfolio will be primarily built from acquiring positions in existing undeveloped discoveries that require further appraisal prior to commercialization. For more information, visit www.hansahydrocarbons.com. |