Commences drilling in Italy

Ascent Resources PLC
18 December 2006

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



18th December 2006



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

                   Commences drilling Anagni-1 Well in Italy



Ascent Resources plc, the AIM-traded oil and gas exploration and production
company, has commenced the drilling of the Anagni-1 well in the Frosinone
Exploration Permit about 80km east-south-east of Rome, with Pentex Italia
Limited as operator.



Anagni-1, which is primarily designed as a stratigraphic (geological research)
well, is planned to be drilled to a depth of 1,000m.  The well location is in
the Latina Valley in the Frosinone Exploration Permit (Ascent 70% interest) and
is circa 40km north-east of the Ripi oilfield in the Strangolagalli Concession
(Ascent 50% interest in the exploration rights). The Anagni-1 well will
investigate the shallow and intermediate Cretaceous Carbonate plays of the
Anagni Structure, which may contain oil reservoirs.



The drilling of the Anagni-1 well commenced on December 16th. On completion of
this well, the rig is scheduled to move to Spain to drill the Hontomin 4
appraisal well in the Huermeces Exploration Permit (Ascent 50%).  The drilling
of the Arrone-1 well in the Fiume Arrone Exploration Permit (Ascent 40%) has
been postponed and now may be drilled, contingent upon access to the drilling
location, when the rig returns from Spain.



Ascent Resources Managing Director Jeremy Eng said, 'The results of the Anagni-1
well will be very interesting, as we know that there is oil in the immediate
vicinity.  The seismic resolution in this area is poor, hence the necessity for
this stratigraphic well, which none the less has the potential to make a notable
oil discovery.  Our drilling programme is continuing and we are looking forward
to the Hontomin well which is close to our existing production from the
Ayoluengo oilfield in northern Spain'.





                                  * * 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 currently drilling a
programme of up to eight wells, two already complete and two more planned in
Hungary with two each planned in Spain and Italy. In 2007, high impact gas
exploration wells are also planned in the Po Valley in Italy and in Switzerland.
Ascent plans to 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 and Ascent also produces over one hundred net 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 anticipates in the short term.


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