The Company announces that, following the exercise of warrants at 11.25 pence per share to subscribe for ordinary shares on 23 December by Graham Heard, Exploration and Technical Director, it has made an application pursuant to the authority granted on 30 June 2008 for the admission of 160,000 ordinary shares of 5 pence each to trading on AIM. Each new ordinary share will rank pari passu with existing ordinary shares. Following the admission, the total number of ordinary shares in issue will be 71,142,059.

It is expected that dealings in the said shares will commence on 31 December 2008.

Simultaneous to this exercise, Mr Heard has transferred these 160,000 ordinary shares to his SIPP at a price of 79p per share. Following this warrant exercise and transfer, Mr Heard’s total beneficial shareholding has increased to 342,570 ordinary shares, which represents 0.48 per cent of the issued share capital of the Company. These transactions do not however result in any change in Mr Heard's beneficial interest in the diluted share capital of Company.

For further information please contact:

Northern Petroleum Plc
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7469 2900
Chris Foss, Finance Director

Investec
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7597 5000
Michael Ansell / Patrick Robb

Bishopsgate Communications (Press)
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7562 3350
Nick Rome / Maxine Barnes

Buchanan Communications (Analysts)
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000
Tim Thompson / Ben Romney