Board Appointment

Kea Petroleum plc

("Kea" or the "Group")

Board Appointment

Board Appointment

Kea Petroleum PLC, (AIM: KEA), is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Anthony Edward Parkes to the Board of Kea Petroleum plc as Managing Director, with immediate effect. Based in New Zealand, Richard will be responsible for the day to day running of Kea. Richard has extensive exploration and operational experience having spent over 25 years in the upstream Petroleum industry. He has held numerous technical and senior management positions in companies such as PetroFrontier, Santos and GeoServices.

Kea Chairman Ian Gowrie-Smith says: "We welcome Richard to the Board and believe his diverse experience in frontier exploration and development of conventional and unconventional resources will be a valuable asset to Kea as we look to develop and commercialise our resources. Kea is entering a very active period with companies expressing a wish to farm into some of our leases and many simultaneous negotiations with the New Zealand Government, land owners and Equipment suppliers. Richard's input will be vital to our success."

Additional Information

Richard, age 51 years, holds no shares or options in Kea Petroleum plc and, other than the directorships/partnerships set out below, there is no further information to be disclosed under schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules.

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Notes to Editors:

Kea Petroleum is an AIM listed oil and gas exploration company with interests in four petroleum exploration permits in New Zealand's Taranaki Basin. Kea listed on the London market in February 2010.