Zion reported that the Israeli Petroleum Commissioner's Office, on behalf of the State of Israel, has notified Zion that it will be awarded a new petroleum exploration license on land within Zion's previous (and now expired) Issachar-Zebulun Permit area. The new license has been named by Zion, the Jordan Valley License. Zion expects to formally receive the license soon.

The Jordan Valley License area is to the east of Zion's Joseph license area and Zion's Asher-Menashe license area and to the south of the Sea of Galilee. It traverses south along the western Jordan River Valley.

Zion's Chief Executive Officer, Richard Rinberg, said, "We are truly excited and very pleased that the State of Israel will award us our new Jordan Valley License. We continue to implement our exploration and drilling program and build on our progress to date. In 2011, we intend to acquire additional seismic and other geological and geophysical data in our new license area, as we endeavor to refine our potential drilling prospects in this area. Meanwhile the drilling operations at our Ma'anit-Joseph #3 well continue, as we strive for our primary target in deep Permian age rock, expected at a depth of over 19,000 feet (5,790 meters). The Ma'anit-Joseph #3 well is already one of the deepest wells ever drilled onshore Israel."

Tags: Zion Oil & Gas