Zola Well Operations to Commence in August 2010

Apache Northwest plans to spud the Zola-1 prospect as early as August, depending on the progress of the Stena Clyde's current activities. Once the semisub is on location, drilling should take about 40 to 50 days to reach a proposed total depth of around 16,404 feet (5,000 meters). Zola is a very large Triassic tilted fault block on trend with the Gorgon gas field. Considered one of the largest un-drilled structural features in the Carnarvon Basin, Zola is covered by high quality newly reprocessed 3D seismic data and is considered a moderate risk prospect. It is estimated Zola contains between 0.2 and 2 Tcf of recoverable gas with a mean volume of nearly 1 Tcf. In a water depth of 984 feet (300 meters), the well is targeting Mungaroo Formation sands – the primary reservoir at Gorgon. Situated near existing infrastructures, Zola has multiple development options in the event of a discovery. Apache operates WA-290-P, located offshore Western Australia, owning a 30% interest; Nippon Oil Exploration owns 25%; OMV Australia owns 20%; Santos Offshore owns 15%; and Tap owns 10%.

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