Empyrean Regulatory News (EME)

Empyrean Energy Plc / Index: AIM / Epic: EME / Sector: Oil & Gas

21 October 2014

Empyrean Energy plc 

Exercise of Options

Empyrean announces that it has today issued 100,000 ordinary shares of 0.2 pence each ("Ordinary Shares") following the exercise of options (by an individual who is not a director or officer of the Company). Application will be made for the new Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM. Admission is expected to take place on 27 October 2014. The shares will rank pari passu with the existing Ordinary Shares.

Following the transaction, and in accordance with Rule 2.10 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the "Code"), the Company confirms that has 221,533,853 Ordinary Shares in issue, each with voting rights. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, securities of the Company under the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rules and under Rule 8.3 of the Code. The International Securities Identification Number for the Ordinary Shares is GB00B09G2351.

**ENDS**

For further information please visit www.empyreanenergy.com or contact the following:

Notes to Editors:

Empyrean Energy Plc is an AIM listed (Ticker: EME) profitable US on-shore oil and gas development and production company focussed primarily on the advancement of its assets in Texas and California. The Company's portfolio represents a mix of assets at various stages of development. Its flagship project is the Sugarloaf AMI in the prolific Eagle Ford Shale, Texas, where it has a 3% working interest in approximately 24,000 gross acres centrally positioned in the liquids rich sweet-spot within the field. Empyrean has an interest in 154 gross producing wells with full development expected to reach over 400 wells and further upside potential from the Austin Chalk development that may be in the order of a further 300 wells. The Company has term debt facility of up to US$50 million with Macquarie Bank in place in order to develop this acreage which is operated by US major Marathon Oil Company.

Other assets include a 57.2% interest in the Eagle Oil Pool Development Project located in the San Joaquin Basin, southern California, a proven oil and gas province. Empyrean's large working interest in this project provides the Company with flexibility and leverage with potential high impact from success. Additionally, Empyrean has a 7.5% interest in the Sugarloaf Block A operated by ConocoPhillips in the Eagle Ford Shale, and a 10% working interest in the Riverbend Project in Texas currently producing from the Wilcox formation.

Disclosure requirements of the Code

Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror (being any offeror other than an offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period and, if later, following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. An Opening Position Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(a) of the Code applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. Relevant persons who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a securities exchange offeror prior to the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing Disclosure.

Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror. A Dealing Disclosure must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror, save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) of the Code applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the business day following the date of the relevant dealing.

If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a securities exchange offeror, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3 of the Code.

Opening Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4 of the Code).

Details of the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Takeover Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including details of the number of relevant securities in issue, when the offer period commenced and when any offeror was first identified. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on +44 (0)20 7638 0129 if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.