Dune Energy Establishes Two South Louisiana Drilling Joint Ventures

HOUSTON, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dune Energy, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: DUNR) announced two South Louisiana drilling joint ventures as described below:

Garden Island Bay, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana

Dune Energy Inc., through its subsidiary Dune Properties Inc., together with two industry partners, intends to drill a 19,500 feet exploratory subsalt well within the Garden Island Bay Field to test potential Miocene pay sand.  The prospect has been mapped with state-of-the-art depth-migrated 3-D seismic data.  Potential unrisked reserves are estimated to be in excess of 100 MMBOe.  This prospect targets sands of similar age and structural settings to the Pompano Subsalt Field in Viosca Knoll 989/990 and the Mahogany Field located in Ship Shoal 349.  The Pompano and Mahogany Fields, located in the Gulf waters of the Federal Offshore are approximately 50 and 125 miles respectively from Garden Island Bay Field which is located in the onshore state waters of Louisiana.

The well is anticipated to spud in January of 2011.  Dune will initially have a 15% working interest in the prospect, escalating to an approximate 26% working interest after the first 3 MMBOe of gross production.  Dune will fund its proportionate share of drilling costs through cost recovery.  Dune maintains its 100% working interest in all existing production from the field and in all lease acreage, with the exception of 9,000 acres associated with this prospect that is beneath the salt dome and at depths greater than 12,000 feet.  

Leeville Field, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana

Dune has signed a LOI to sell 60% of its non-productive, leasehold interest within the Leeville Field to a private exploration and production company for $5 million.  The company intends to form a joint venture to further exploit undeveloped opportunities within the field.  Dune will have a 40% working interest in this venture.

James A. Watt, President and Chief Executive Officer of the company stated, "These projects expose our shareholders to the significant exploratory upside within our prospect base.  Success in these ventures could position the company to add new reserves and production for 2011 and beyond."

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This document includes forward-looking statements that are intended to be covered by "forward-looking statements" safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  All statements included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that Dune Energy expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning estimates of expected drilling and development wells and associated costs, statements relating to estimates of, and increases in, production, cash flows and values, statements relating to the continued advancement of Dune Energy, Inc.'s projects and other statements that are not historical facts. When used in this document, the words such as "could," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "potential," "should," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. Although Dune Energy, Inc. believes that its expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and no assurance can be given that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements include the potential that the Company's projects will experience technological and mechanical problems, geological conditions in the reservoir may not result in commercial levels of oil and gas production, changes in product prices and other risks disclosed in Dune's Annual report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Dune Energy, Inc.