Hungary Drilling Update

Ascent Resources PLC
30 April 2007

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



30th April 2007



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

                     Recommencement of Drilling in Hungary



Ascent Resources plc, the AIM traded oil and gas exploration and production
company, in conjunction with its partners, has started drilling the first of two
further wells in the Nyirseg exploration permits of north east Hungary.



PetroHungaria kft (a 90% owned subsidiary of Ascent), started drilling the
PEN-102 well on 26 April 2007.  This morning at 06:00 CET, the rig was drilling
ahead in 12-1/4' hole at 504m with a planned total depth of 1,500m.



Partners in the well are DualEx of Canada (37.5%) and Petro Pequnia of Sweden
(2%) and under the farm-out agreement, DualEx will pay 75% and Petro Pequnia 4%
of the costs of this well with PetroHungaria kft funding the remaining 21%.



The PEN-102 well is an appraisal well of a gas discovery made in 1983 at PEN-12.
 The well will target lower Miocene tuffaceous reservoir rocks which produced in
the Peneszlek gas field roughly five kilometres to the east. In addition, the
prospect includes a shallower Pannonian Sand target of the same age as that
successfully tested in the PEN-104 well, the gas discovery announced in November
2006.  In relation to the development planning for PEN-104, PetroHungaria and
its partners are evaluating the incremental reserves of two nearby suspended
wells including PEN-12 drilled in the 1980's.  These wells both produced gas on
test from the Miocene formations but were never placed on production.



After drilling PEN-102, the rig will move to drill the VAM-1 well which is
designed to test exploration prospects in both the Miocene and Pannonian
formations in the Vamospercs area, roughly 18 kilometres to the southwest of the
Peneszlek field.



Ascent's Managing Director Jeremy Eng said, 'The Hungarian operations are an
important part of our European gas orientated portfolio. The new wells have the
potential to increase reserves as well as to produce gas in the short-term,
thereby providing additional cashflow for the Company. These wells are the
option wells under our farm-in agreement and PetroHungaria retains a 60.5%
working interest.



'Additionally, the tight gas redevelopment project in the south west of Hungary,
in association with MOL, the Hungarian oil and gas company continues to
progress. This project also has great potential and consolidates our Company's
position in Hungary.'



Garry Hides, CEO of DualEx, commented, 'We're pleased to be back drilling at
Nyirseg. Each of these two wells could add significantly to the already
demonstrated potential of the blocks.  Once we've completed earning our final
working interest with these wells we can move forward with our partners to more
fully evaluate the blocks.'



                                  * * 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 gas and oil 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 exploration wells across its portfolio.  The Company operates
Spain's only onshore oilfield where production currently averages over 110
barrels of oil per day. With the stable European gas market, Ascent's portfolio
favours gas over oil. 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.






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