Commencement of Drilling

Ascent Resources PLC
19 March 2007

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


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

        Commences Drilling Operations on Huermeces Licence Onshore Spain


Ascent Resources plc, the AIM-traded oil and gas exploration and production
company, commenced drilling the Hontomin-4 well on the Huermeces licence onshore
Spain on March 17th 2007. The objective of the well is an up-dip appraisal in
the Hontomin structure where three wells, drilled between 1965 and 1992,
confirmed the presence of an oil reservoir. Ascent's partner in this well is
Tethys Oil AB of Sweden with a 50% interest.  Drilling operations on the well,
which is planned to reach a depth of 1,570 metres, can be expected to last some
four weeks.


The Huermeces licence is 17 km southeast of the Ascent-operated Ayoluengo
oilfield in the Sedano basin, 180 km south of Bilbao in northern Spain. The well
was spudded at 06:00 local time on Saturday and on Sunday evening at 18:00 local
time was drilling ahead in 121/4' hole at 50m.


The first Hontomin well, No. 1, had oil shows in the Liassic Carniolas
Dolomites, and the Hontomin-2 discovery well drilled in 1968, produced on test
nearly 3,000 barrels of oil over a 26 day period.  Initial rates were over 300
barrels per day of oil, but a rapidly increasing water-cut suggested that the
well was close to the oil-water contact.  A third well, Hontomin-3 (1991) was
unsuccessful, and later seismic work showed that it had been drilled down-dip
and on the wrong side of a fault from the main part of the Hontomin structure.
The oil is of good quality is of medium gravity (32 degree API).


Once drilling and logging are completed, it is planned that that the rig will
return to Italy to evaluate the Anagni-1 well. The testing at Hontomin will use
the workover rig and facilities of the Ayoluengo field.  Production from
Hontomin, as it is for the Ayoluengo field, can be readily transported to market
by truck.


The information contained in this release has been reviewed and approved by Dr
Eloi Dolivo, Ascent's Exploration Manager.  Dr Dolivo (member of the AAPG) has
26 years experience in the evaluation of hydrocarbon resources.


                                  * * 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.  Ascent is at present drilling a
programme of six wells.  Two have already been drilled 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 this Hontomin-4 well
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.



Glossary:


Degree API            Degrees API (American Petroleum Institute). A unit of
                      liquid density.

                      Degrees API Gravity = ((141.5 / Specific Gravity at 60
                      Degree F) - 131.5)

AAPG                  Member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists





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