PRESS RELEASE
Exercise of Options
Rockhopper Exploration plc ('Rockhopper' or the 'Company') was notified on 25 November 2008 that, on the same day, Dr. Pierre Jungels, Chairman of the Company, exercised options in respect of 350,000 new ordinary shares of 1 pence each in the Company ('Ordinary Shares') at an exercise price of 10 pence per Ordinary Share.
The option to purchase Ordinary Shares was granted to Dr. Jungels on 11 April 2005, prior to the Company's admission to trading on AIM on 15 August 2005.
Dr. Jungels now has an interest in 716,074 Ordinary Shares representing 0.89 per cent. of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company.
Application has been made for the new Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM on or around 1 December 2008. The new Ordinary Shares will rank pari passu with the existing ordinary share capital of the Company and have been allotted and issued credited as fully paid.
Following admission, the total issued share capital of the Company with voting rights will increase to 80,514,520 Ordinary Shares.
The above figure of 80,514,520 Ordinary Shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change in their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FSA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.
For further information, please contact:
Rockhopper Exploration plc www.rockhopperexploration.co.uk
Sam Moody - Managing Director 01722 414 419
Aquila Financial Ltd www.aquila-financial.com
Peter Reilly 0118 979 4100
Teathers
Tom Hulme / Sebastian Jones 020 7131 3000
Notes to editors
www.rockhopperexploration.co.uk
The Rockhopper Group started trading in February 2004 to invest in and carry out an offshore oil exploration programme to the north of the Falkland Islands. The Group, floated on AIM in August 2005, has a 100 per cent. interest in four offshore production licences which cover approximately 3,800 sq. km. These licences have been granted by the Falkland Islands government.