Acquisition

Ascent Resources PLC
19 March 2007

      Ascent Resources plc / Epic: AST / Index: AIM / Sector: Oil and Gas


                Ascent Resources plc ('Ascent' or the 'Company')

          Increase interest in the Frosinone Exploration Permit, Italy


Ascent Resources plc, the European focused oil and gas exploration and
production company, has agreed with its partner Pentex Italia Limited to
increase the Company's interest in the Frosinone Exploration Permit (the 'Permit
') in Italy from 70% to 80%. The interest in the Permit will be transferred to
Ascent's wholly owned Italian subsidiary, Ascent Resources Italia s.r.l. who
will be appointed by Pentex, the Permit operator, to be the Principal Contractor
and in due course, Ascent Resources Italia s.r.l. will become the operator of
the Permit.


The Frosinone Exploration Permit is in the Latina Valley 80 km south-east of
Rome where the Company spudded the Anagni-1 well at the end of 2006 and
announced it as an oil discovery on January 29th 2007.  Ascent plans to evaluate
the oil discovery, with operations scheduled to re-start in April 2007 when the
rig returns from Spain where it is currently drilling the Hontomin-4 appraisal
well.


The consideration for the increased interest in the Permit will be satisfied in
cash and €300,000 (£204,954.43) in Ascent ordinary shares at 14.73p per share
(Ascent's average share price over 10 days immediately before execution).
Additionally, Ascent will pay Pentex's 20% share of the costs for evaluating the
Anagni-1 oil discovery, which will include deepening, testing and further
seismic surveys.


Ascent Managing Director Jeremy Eng said. 'The discovery of oil at Anagni-1 was
a very important event for the Company and it changes our priorities for the
exploration of the area.  Our aim is to re-deploy resources to accelerate the
evaluation of the discovery and through proving reserves, attribute true value
to the discovery.'


                                  * * ENDS * *


For further information visit www.ascentresources.co.uk or contact:

Jeremy Eng                  Ascent  Resources plc             Tel: [phone]
Hugo de Salis               St Brides Media & Finance Ltd     Tel: [phone]


Notes:

Ascent Resources has a portfolio of over 20 oil and gas projects across six
countries in Europe. The projects are onshore in Italy, Switzerland, Hungary,
Spain, Slovenia and offshore Netherlands.  In the current drilling campaign,
Ascent has already drilled two wells in Hungary, one of which was a gas
discovery.  The Anagni-1 well, first of two Italian wells, has been temporarily
completed for future deepening and testing and the Hontomin-4 well, currently
being drilled is the first of two wells in Spain.  Later in 2007, two more gas
exploration wells are to be drilled in Hungary, high impact gas exploration
wells are planned in the Po Valley in Italy, and one well in Switzerland,
subject to permitting and rig availability.


Ascent operates Spain's only onshore oilfield where production currently
averages over 100 barrels of oil per day.


With the stable European gas market, Ascent's portfolio favours gas over oil
and, with the exception of the Netherlands, all of its projects are located
onshore where operating and development costs are substantially lower than they
are offshore.





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