Drill programme update

Ascent Resources PLC
21 November 2006

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



21 November 2006

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

                          Spuds Second Well in Hungary



Ascent Resources plc, the AIM-traded oil and gas exploration and production
company, announces the spudding of its second well in Hungary.  The Fehergyarmat
2 (FGY-2) well, with a planned total depth of 1,100m, targets Pannonian
clastics, the same formations which were successfully tested in the PEN-104 well
(announced 14 November 2006).  The FGY-2 well, which is located approximately 70
km north north-east of PEN-104, is aimed at quantifying the extent of the gas
reserves in the northern part of the Nyirseg exploration permits.



PetroHungaria kft (a 90% owned subsidiary of Ascent), with its partners DualEx
of Canada (37.5%) and Petro Pequnia of Sweden (2%), has the option to drill two
further wells in the permits and the same drilling rig is available to the Group
in March 2007.



                                  * * 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]

Hugh Oram               Nabarro Wells & Co. Limited        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 and Romania and offshore the Netherlands. Ascent is drilling a programme
of six exploration wells, at least two in Hungary and two each in Spain and
Italy. In 2007, high impact gas exploration wells are also planned in the Po
Valley in Italy and in Switzerland. Ascent will also participate in up to four
non-operated exploration wells in the Aurelian Oil & Gas PLC led project in
Romania (5% Ascent) where gas is produced from the Bilca development.  Ascent
also produces a hundred barrels of oil daily from Spain's only onshore oilfield.



With the strong and 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.



Ascent's directors are specialists in the oil and gas business and each director
has expertise and experience in commercialising energy assets.  The Company's
Board and Executive Management provide the basis upon which Ascent can
accommodate the rapid growth that the Company plans in the short term.


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange