Blocklisting Application

23 February 2016

Rockhopper Exploration plc("Rockhopper" or the "Company")

Blocklisting Application

The Company has in place a blocklisting for the allotment of new shares under the Company's Share Incentive Plan ("SIP"). In order to provide for the anticipated issue of shares under the SIP for the remainder of the current tax year and for the 2016/2017 tax year, the Company has applied for a further 550,000 ordinary shares to be blocklisted (the "Blocklisting Shares").

The Company's HMRC approved SIP was launched in March 2012 and is made available to all employees of the Company including executive Directors who are entitled to participate on an equal basis subject to HMRC limits. Participants can purchase shares in the Company on a monthly basis and receive matching awards of shares and all employees and executive Directors are eligible to receive an annual award of free shares, the level of which is determined by the Company's Remuneration Committee.

The Blocklisting Shares are expected to be admitted to trading on AIM on 26 February 2016.

Enquiries

Rockhopper Exploration plcJan Davies, Company Secretary

Tel: (via Vigo Communications) - 020 7016 9573Canaccord Genuity Limited (NOMAD and Joint Broker)

Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor

Tel: 020 7523 8000