Cabot Energy Regulatory News (CAB)

Northern Petroleum Plc

("Northern Petroleum" or "the Company")

Canadian Drilling Operations Commence

Northern Petroleum (AIM: NOP) provides the following update on operations in Alberta, Canada. The Company has now been granted the appropriate licences required to start the proof of concept programme for the redevelopment opportunity in north-west Alberta. This involves the re-entry of an existing well, a new well twinning an existing well into a previously produced reef and a new well into an undrilled reef.

Operations to prepare the well sites for the drilling operations have now commenced. Well site clearance will take between three and seven days on each site. Drilling and completion is forecast to take 15 to 20 days for each well, which will be followed by a sustained flow test period. The results from the completed programme are expected to be known in the second quarter.

Keith Bush, Chief Executive Officer of Northern Petroleum, commented:

"Through close cooperation with the Albertan authorities, the Company is now receiving approvals for the well licence applications and it is great that field operations have begun. I am looking forward to testing our sub-surface work through the well programme."

The Canadian Opportunity

Northern Petroleum acquired leases covering over 9,300 acres of land from Alberta Crown land sales in Canada in 2013. The opportunity is the redevelopment of previously produced carbonate reefs of the Keg River formation, which is a conventional light oil reservoir. The majority of the production wells on the acreage were drilled in the late 60s and 70s and were located on 2D seismic, with oil recovery rates of approximately 20 per cent to date, according to the Albertan regulator.

Most of the wells were shut-in in the 80s and 90s due to a combination of increasing water cut and a lack of capital investment raising the economic threshold for the play. Since then activity levels have been minimal as the larger operators have focused on more material or unconventional projects and the smaller companies have not been able to fully redevelop the opportunity due to a lack of capital.

The initial concept was for the re-entry of and production from existing wells to take advantage of the re-equilibration of the oil and water since production was shut-in. However, following the purchase and interpretation of off-the-shelf 3D seismic during the summer last year, the near term strategy has moved more to drilling new wells in order to target areas of bypassed oil and increase primary recovery further. With positive results from this proof of concept phase, operations will move into development and production.

- Ends -

In Accordance with AIM Rules - Guidance for Mining and Oil & Gas Companies, the information contained in this announcement has been reviewed and signed off by the Exploration and Technical Director of Northern Petroleum, Mr Graham Heard CGeol. FGS, who has over 35 years experience as a petroleum geologist. He has compiled, read and approved the technical disclosure in this regulatory announcement. The technical disclosure in this announcement complies with the SPE/WPC standard.

For further information please contact:

Northern Petroleum Plc Tel: +44 (0)20 7469 2900

Keith Bush, Chief Executive Officer

Nick Morgan, Finance Director

Graham Heard, Exploration and Technical Director

Westhouse Securities (Nomad and Broker) Tel: +44 (0)20 7601 6100

Richard Baty, Corporate Finance

Henry Willcocks, Corporate Broking

FTI Consulting Tel: +44 (0)20 7831 3113

Edward Westropp/ Shannon Brushe

Note to Editors:

Northern Petroleum is an oil and gas company currently holding licences in countries of relatively low political risk and is continuing with its strategy of adding and securing value for shareholders as it enters into projects at all stages of the exploration and production value chain. Comprehensive information on Northern Petroleum and its oil and gas operations, including press releases, annual reports and interim reports are available from Northern Petroleum's website: www.northernpetroleum.com