PLUS 2009

Wessex Exploration plc is a hydrocarbon exploration company with interests in offshore Guyane (formerly French Guiana), Juan de Nova (Mozambique Channel), Southern England and the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) (North West Africa).

Wessex holds a 1.25% interest in the Guyane Maritime licence which is operated by Hardman Petroleum France SAS, a subsidiary of Tullow Oil ("Tullow"). The licence area sits on a fairway that was once conjugate to the new oilfields being discovered off Ghana and Sierra Leone in West Africa. In November and December 2009, Tullow announced farm-outs of 33% and 25% interests in the licence to Shell and Total respectively.

In the Mozambique Channel northwest of the island of Madagascar, Wessex holds a 70% interest in the Juan de Nova Est permit. The permit area lies approximately 100 km west of the large heavy oil occurrences of Tsimimoro and Bemolanga, now being exploited by Madagascar Oil Limited in partnership with Total.

Wessex also holds interests in three licences in the Wessex Basin in Southern England and two exploration blocks in the SADR.