Issue of Equity and TVR

Rockhopper Exploration plc
01 May 2008

Rockhopper Exploration PLC ('the Company')



Issue of Equity and Total Voting Rights



Rockhopper Exploration plc ('the Company') announces that, following receipt of
a Notice of Exercise from HSBC Bank plc, options have been exercised in respect
of 238,095 new ordinary shares of 1p each in the Company ('Ordinary Shares') at
a price of 42p per Ordinary Share.



The option to purchase Ordinary Shares was granted on 9 August 2005, the date of
the Company's admission to trading on AIM.



Application has been made for the new Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading
on AIM on or around 7 May 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 76,384,520 Ordinary Shares.



The above figure of 76,384,520 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                        020 7202 2601
Yvonne Fraser                       020 7202 2609


Landsbanki Securities (UK) Limited
Tom Hulme / Sebastian Jones         020 7426 9000





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