Rockhopper Regulatory News (RKH)

Embargoed: 0700hrs, 23 January 2013

Rockhopper Exploration plc

("Rockhopper" or the "Company")

Board Change

Rockhopper Exploration plc (AIM: RKH), the North Falkland Basin oil and gas exploration company, announces that Dave Bodecott, Exploration Director, is retiring from the Board of Directors and will be leaving the Company on 31 January 2013.

Pierre Jungels, Chairman of Rockhopper, commented:

"Dave has made a huge contribution as a member of the management team since the Company's inception, firstly as a consultant and, since January 2007, as a highly valued Board director. We would like to extend our thanks to him for his hard work culminating in the discovery of Sea Lion and the successful exploration and appraisal programme which followed that. All of us at Rockhopper wish him well for the future."

The subsurface work on the Company's existing acreage and in relation to new ventures will be managed by Fiona MacAulay, Rockhopper's G&G Manager (Geology and Geophysics).

Enquiries:

Notes to Editors:

Rockhopper was established in February 2004 with a strategy to invest in and carry out offshore oil exploration to the north of the Falkland Islands. The Company floated on AIM in August 2005 with four offshore production licences: PL023, PL024, PL032 and PL033 which cover approximately 3,800 sq. km. Rockhopper has further smaller interests in licences PL003, PL004a and PL004c, which are operated by Desire Petroleum plc. Additionally, the Company has a significant interest in licence PL004b which contains the extension to the Sea Lion Field as well as the Beverley, Casper and Casper South discoveries.

An extensive work programme was carried out over a number of years on the licences operated by Rockhopper. This has included 2D and 3D seismic and controlled source electromagnetic mapping. In February 2010, the Ocean Guardian drilling rig arrived in Falkland waters to carry out a multi-well drilling campaign. Rockhopper drilled an exploration well on Sea Lion during April and May 2010, the result of which was the first oil discovery and Contingent Resource in the North Falkland Basin. The Sea Lion discovery was successfully tested during September 2010 and June 2011 and was the first oil to flow to surface in Falkland Islands waters. Rockhopper's drilling campaign lasted from 16 April 2010 to 8 January 2012 and resulted in seven successful wells of the ten drilled, with three oil discoveries, three gas discoveries, multiple successful Sea Lion appraisal wells and a successful appraisal well on Casper.

In October 2012 Rockhopper completed a farm-out agreement with Premier Oil plc, whereby Premier Oil acquired 60 per cent. of Rockhopper's interests in its North Falkland Basin licences, with a view to achieving first oil production from Sea Lion in 2017.

Rockhopper Exploration plc www.rockhopperexploration.co.uk