Re Contract

Enterprise Oil PLC
24 October 2000

Enterprise Oil announces award of rig contract for Bijupira-Salema fields

Enterprise Oil announced today that the contract for the Bijupira-Salema
development drilling programme has been awarded to Diamond Offshore Drilling
Inc, subject to project sanction and ANP approval.

The drilling programme, currently envisaged to last two years, will be
conducted utilising the semi-submersible drill rig, Ocean Yorktown, with 16
wells provisionally planned for the period.  Project sanction is expected in
early 2001 and drilling operations are due to commence in mid-year 2001.  The
rig is currently working on a three-year contract to co-venturer, Petrobras.  

Ron Bryans, the Project Director, commented:  'The award of this $55 million
contract marks a step forward towards project sanction for this development.
It follows on from the award of Front End Engineering and Design contracts
this summer and adds further impetus to the momentum of this exciting
project.'

Co-Venturers in the Bijupira-Salema fields are:

Enterprise Oil (Operator)     55 per cent
Odebrecht                     25 per cent
Petrobras                     20 per cent


For further information please contact:

Patrick d'Ancona, Head of Public Relations                      020 7925 4160
Peter Reilly, Head of Investor Relations                        020 7925 4229
Sucharita Sethi, Public Relations Officer                       020 7925 4160

Notes to Editors:

Drilling programme for the Bijupira-Salema development

Bijupira:
- 7 production wells
- 4 water injection wells      

Salema:
- 3 production wells 
- 2 water injection wells

The two fields are located adjacent to each other in the Campos Basin, some
90km from Cabo de Sao Tome, in water depths ranging from 480 to 880 metres.
The Bijupira and Salema crude oils are relatively light (28 degrees API and 31
degrees API, respectively) and deposited in an Eocene age sandstone reservoir
of Carapebus formation. Artificial lift will be required to raise the
reservoir fluids to surface for processing, with reservoir pressure maintained
by the injection of high-pressure seawater to assist oil recovery.