Hunt Energy Drill Rig Arrives in Tasmania to Drill Bellevue #1 in Search for Oil, Gas and Helium

Empire Energy Corporation International (OTCBB:EEGC) and its Australian subsidiary Great South Land Minerals today announced that the Hunt Energy Rig Number 3 has arrived in Tasmania, is stored in northern Tasmania and will be moving shortly to the Bellevue #1 site in the center of Tasmania. Local drilling company Spauldings has been mobilised and plans to begin drilling of the 350m (1150 feet) top hole on the 17^th of September. Empire CEO and founder Malcolm Bendall reports, "We have completed extensive drill site (lease) preparations, connected to a water supply, drilled, blasted and removed surface rock and established access to two existing roads. Once the top hole is drilled we plan to move the Hunt Energy Rig Number 3 to Bellevue to complete drilling to a planned depth of 2800m (9180 feet). Photographs of our recent operations have been placed on our website at www.empireenergy.com. We are preparing applications for another two drill sites on the huge Bellevue structure and will also be submitting applications to regulatory authorities to drill another very large structure at Thunderbolt, 50 km (31 miles) south of Bellevue.”

Empire’s Chairman and Chief Geologist Dr. Clive Burrett added, "The Thunderbolt Anticline is a very large structure and was one of our preferred sites even before the structure was confirmed by our seismic data in 2006 and 2007. We expect to intersect coals at 800m (2625 feet) and 1250m (4100 feet) and potential reservoirs in sandstones at 550m (1800 feet) and 1270m (4165 feet) and in limestones at 1800m (5900 feet), 2100m (6888 feet) and 2600m (8528 feet). The sandstones are similar in age and type to producing reservoirs in Oman and in the Cooper Basin (Australia) and the limestones are similar to producing reservoirs in the USA (such as the Viola and Trenton Formations) and in the Tarim Basin of China. All these formations will be fully evaluated for hydrocarbons and helium by mudlogging, wireline logging and drill stem testing.”

Mr. Bendall continued, "These will be our first holes in what we expect to be a multi-well program testing the petroleum potential of the whole Tasmania Basin. In order to finance this program we are working to complete an AUD $45 million joint venture agreement with Hong Kong based Smart Win International Limited. Smart Win has already provided a loan of AUD $5 million which allowed us to start operations at Bellevue.”

Empire Energy is an international oil and gas exploration company, focusing on developing assets in one of the world's last virgin basins and to become a leading low-cost finder of hydrocarbons. The Company is currently operating in Tasmania's central and northern basins.

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on our current expectations about our company and our industry. You can identify these forward-looking statements when you see us using the words such as "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believes," "plans" and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of our ability to complete required financings and other preconditions to the completion of the transactions described herein and Empire's ability to successfully acquire reserves and produce its resources among other issues. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future. We caution you not to place undue reliance on those statements. For a more detailed discussion of risks and other factors related to Empire Energy Corporation Int'l, please refer to its 10-KSB and 10 Q reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.