5 New Production Licences

Tullow Oil PLC
22 July 2002


Monday 22 July 2002



            TULLOW AWARDED 5 NORTH SEA OFFSHORE PRODUCTION LICENCES

Tullow Oil plc ('Tullow'), the independent oil and gas exploration, development
and production company, announces that its wholly-owned subsidiary Tullow
Exploration Limited ('TEL'), has been awarded five Seaward Production Licences
on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf ('UKCS'). The licence awards, announced
by the Minister for Industry and Energy, Brian Wilson, on 18th July comprise a
total of seven UKCS blocks or part blocks, totalling approximately 340 sq. kms.
net to TEL. It represents one hundred per cent success for the applications made
by TEL in this competitive licence round.  The awards are listed  below.

Six of the blocks are in the Southern Gas Basin in close proximity to the
Caister Murdoch System ('CMS') infrastructure in which TEL has a significant
interest. There are undeveloped gas discoveries on two of the blocks, and a
number of significant exploration leads, all of which offer the potential for
early commercial production through CMS, in the case of exploration or appraisal
success. The work programmes allow for the reprocessing of existing 3-D seismic
data or the acquisition of new 3-D surveys, with the option to drill or drop the
acreage after the data has been thoroughly assessed.

The seventh block is located in the prolific Central North Sea/Outer Moray Firth
oil province. This is in partnership with the operator of the Buzzard field, the
largest North Sea discovery for a number of years. This represents TEL's first
acreage in this area and the block has been awarded on a similar work programme
to the other blocks.

Aidan Heavey, Managing Director, Tullow Oil plc, said: 'We are delighted with
this major award of very prospective acreage, which marks a significant step in
capitalising on the success of our purchase of the BP/ARCO assets, completed
last year. It fits well with our strategy of growth from our core areas of North
Sea infrastructure.  It also gives us our first opportunity to expand into the
oil province of the Central North Sea. We look forward to an exciting
exploration and appraisal programme.'



ENDS



For more information please  contact:
Tullow Oil plc                                       Binns & Co PR Ltd
John Lander, Managing Director, Tullow Exploration   Peter Binns, Emma McCaffrey
Limited
Graham Martin, Legal and Commercial Director
Tel: [phone]                                   020 7786 9600
www.tullowoil.com                                    www.binnspr.co.uk



Editor's notes:

The following blocks were awarded by the Department of Trade and Industry to
TEL:

Block Number         Licensees and Equity Interests
15/28c               TEL (15%), EnCana (55%)*, Paladin (20%), Montrose (10%)

44/11 and 44/12      TEL (35%), Gaz De France (37.5%)*, Consort (27.5%)

44/16                TEL (35%), Gaz De France (37.5%)*, Consort (27.5%)

44/18b and 44/23b    TEL (22.5%), Conoco (50%)*, Gaz De France (27.5%)

44/28a               TEL (22.5%), Conoco (50%)*, Gaz De France (27.5%)


*denotes operator




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