PetroNeft Resources, owner and operator of Licences 61 and 67, Tomsk Oblast, Russian Federation, provides an update on its operations at Licence 61.

Highlights: • Fifth and sixth production wells successfully drilled • Wells have encountered some of the thickest net pay to date • Year-round production expected to commence in August 2010 • Arbuzovskaya exploration rig-up complete.

Development Drilling Drilling of the fifth and sixth of the planned nine production wells at the Lineynoye oil field has now been completed ahead of schedule. Preliminary log and survey data indicate that these wells have encountered some of the thickest net pay to date in the development programme. The top of the reservoir interval is from 8 to 10 metres higher than prognosis which will benefit future reservoir stimulation and recovery of reserves.

Production casing will now be run in well No. 115 and cemented. The drilling rig will then be moved along its rails and drilling of the seventh well, No. 116, will commence shortly thereafter. A work-over rig is continuing the process of perforating and installing electrical submersible pumps in wells 109, 110 and 112 to 115.

Production Facilities Construction of production facilities is almost complete and, based on the current rate of progress, is on schedule to allow first oil production to commence in late August 2010.

Arbuzovskaya Exploration Well Rig-up operations for the Arbuzovskaya exploration well are complete and drilling is scheduled to commence in October 2010 after the nine well production drilling programme has been completed. This is the first of at least three exploration/delineation wells to be drilled in the northern part of Licence 61 in 2010 and 2011. This programme has the potential to materially increase both Company reserves and the long term production potential of Licence 61.

Dennis Francis, Chief Executive Officer of PetroNeft Resources plc, commented,"Drilling of the production wells is continuing ahead of schedule and the results continue to be within or ahead of expectations. We are only weeks away from commencing year-round production and I look forward to updating shareholders in late August confirming we have met this target."

Tags: PetroNeft Resources plc