Significant Gas Discovery

Regal Petroleum PLC
25 April 2005


Immediate Release                                                  25 April 2005


                              REGAL PETROLEUM PLC

                           ('Regal' or the 'Company')

                      Romania - Significant Gas Discovery

The Directors are pleased to announce that Regal has successfully completed the
drilling of exploration well SE-1 to a total depth of 2,292 metres resulting in
a significant gas discovery. Technical evaluations undertaken by Regal indicate
a recoverable gas resource in the Suceava licence area of up to 3.8 trillion
cubic feet (684 million barrels of oil equivalent).

Well Completion: The first well SE-1, drilled in the northwest of the Suceava
licence, has been completed to a depth of 2,292 metres and well tests have been
carried out, with the assistance of independent consultants, on the multiple
hydrocarbon bearing formations. The well was drilled on a structural prospect in
the Suceava-E Area, where numerous prospects have been mapped and it
successfully intersected multiple reservoir objectives as expected within the
Sarmatian, Eocene and Cretaceous sandstones.

Well Testing: Well tests in both the Sarmatian and Cretaceous intervals have
produced dry gas (99.4% methane) at varying flow rates. A total of four separate
zones have been perforated, frac'ed and tested, and a stable flow rate of 1.2
million standard cubic feet per day ('scf/day') tested from a Sarmatian interval
at a depth of approximately 550 metres.


It is now intended to complete the SE-1 well and put the well onto an extended
well test.


Estimated Recoverable Resource: The Sarmatian interval above the salt is a silty
sandstone of varying thickness of between 5 and 25 metres within a
fluvio-deltaic system. Volumetric estimates of the Suceava-E structure indicate
that up to 490 billion cubic feet (88 million barrels of oil equivalent ('boe'))
of recoverable resources are present within the Suceava-E structure of the
Sarmatian interval. Based on current Regal evaluation, existing well flow rate
data and seismic data coverage the Company believes that the total recoverable
resource in the Sarmatian interval (above the salt) of the entire Suceava
licence area is up to 3.8 trillion cubic feet (684 million boe). The P50
estimate of the recoverable resource is 2.3 trillion cubic feet (410 million
boe).

Current data and technical evaluation indicates that a greater reservoir quality
and thicker sandstone beds are present in other structures in the Suceava
licence area with significantly higher permeability.

Suceava Drilling Programme: A drilling programme is being finalised which will
focus on the highly prospective gas bearing Sarmatian interval, above the salt.
It is expected that a series of shallow, low cost exploration/development wells
will be drilled in 2005 and 2006 to test, confirm and evaluate recoverable
reserves. In certain cases wells will be deepened below the Sarmatian interval
to test prospective intervals at Eocene or Cretaceous levels which may add
upside to the recoverable resource.

Suceava Block Profile: The Suceava Block is a 4,103 square kilometre
exploration, development and production licence area located on the Moldavia
Platform, which contains several large commercial gas and condensate fields. The
Suceava Block is located adjacent to and on the same geological trend as the
Roman-Secuieni gas field, the largest commercial gas field in Romania, operated
by Romgaz (the Romanian national gas company).

The SE-1 well is only approximately 12kms from another significant Romgaz
operated gas field, the Todiresti field, and an established gas transportation
infrastructure. Main gas trunk routes lie throughout the Suceava area, enabling
low cost and rapid field development.

Barlad Block Update: The Barlad Block is one of the largest exploration,
development and production licence blocks in Romania with an area of 6,285
square kilometres and is located on the Moldavia Platform. The Barlad Block is
on a south eastward extension of Regal's existing Suceava Block.


Between 1970 and 1980 a large number of exploration wells were drilled on the
Barlad Block, with gas shows in the northern part of the block and oil shows in
the southern part of the block. In addition numerous 2D seismic survey lines
were carried out on the Barlad Block between 1975 and 1985.


Approximately 1,000km of existing seismic data is currently being reprocessed
and 700km of new seismic is being acquired and processed during Q2 and Q3 2005
in order to determine the depositional history of the block. This will improve
lead structure identification and refine mapping of prospects to allow well
locations to be selected. The first Barlad exploration well is planned for late
2005.


The geological setting of the Barlad Block includes two tectonic units: the
Moldavian Platform where the Company expects to prove up gas accumulations in
the northern part (similar to those in the Suceava licence) and the Barlad
Depression where the Company expects to prove up high quality oil accumulations
in the southern part.


Commenting on the successful gas discovery in the Romanian well SE-1, Frank
Timis, Executive Chairman, said:


'The Board is very excited by the positive results of Regal's first exploration
well in Romania. This is a major dry gas discovery in a European country with a
favourable tax regime, established oil and gas infrastructure and low
development costs adding significant value to Regal. We look forward to the
drilling of further appraisal/development wells in this highly prospective area
in 2005 and 2006 so that we can add substantial independently audited reserves
to our reserves portfolio.'


25 April 2005


For further information, please contact:

Regal                                                         Tel: [phone]
Frank Timis, Executive Chairman
Roger Phillips, Finance Director

Buchanan Communications                                       Tel: [phone]
Bobby Morse / Ben Willey                                      Mob: [phone]


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