Admission of Placing Shares

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE IT WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

Ophir Energy PLC

("Ophir" or the "Company")

Admission of Placing Shares and Total Voting Rights

London, 8 March 2013: Ophir notifies the market that the issue, admission to the Official List and admission to trading on the London Stock Exchange plc's main market for listed securities of 19,850,000 new ordinary shares pursuant to the Company's placing announced on Monday, 4 March 2013 (the "Placing Shares"), has become effective and dealings in the Placing Shares commenced at 8.00 a.m. today. As a result, the Company's issued share capital now consists of 420,064,189 ordinary shares of £0.0025 each. The Company does not hold any ordinary shares in treasury.

Therefore, as at 8 March 2013, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 420,064,189.

Shareholders may use this figure as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FSA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules ("DTR").

This announcement is in conformity with DTR 5.6.1A (1)

For Further Information please contact:

Ophir Energy plc +44 (0)20 7290 5800

Nick Cooper, CEO

Stephanie Prior, Senior Commercial Manager

Lisa Mitchell, CFO and Company Secretary

Brunswick Group +44 (0)20 7404 5959

Patrick Handley

Elizabeth Adams

Notes to Editors

Ophir Energy (OPHR.LN) is an African focussed, upstream oil and gas resource company which is a member of the FTSE 250. The Group's headquarters are located in London (England), with operational offices in Perth (Australia), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Accra (Ghana), Dar es Salaam and Mtwara (Tanzania), Port Gentil, (Gabon) and Nairobi (Kenya).

Ophir is the sixth largest deepwater acreage holder offshore Africa, present in four key emerging sub-Saharan exploration themes, and the largest net acreage holder in offshore East Africa.

For further information on Ophir, please refer to www.ophir-energy.com

These materials are not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States (including its territories and possessions, any State of the United States and the District of Columbia), Australia, Canada or Japan. These materials do not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States. The nil paid rights and the New Shares mentioned herein (the "Securities") have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act").