Harvest Natural Resources Provides Operational Update for Drilling Operations in Indonesia - Budong-Budong Block, West Sulawesi

HOUSTON, Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. (NYSE: HNR) announced today the KD-1 well, which spud on June 20, 2011, is currently drilling at 8,396 feet.  The well was initially drilled to a depth of 9,633 feet.  Upon running in the hole after changing drill bits, the drill string became stuck at a depth of 8,390 feet.  After multiple attempts to break free, the operator severed the drill string, set a cement plug at 7,347 feet and sidetracked the well.  The KD-1 well is being drilled to test a thrusted surface anticline with stacked Miocene and Eocene targets.  With the current well design, the KD-1 well could be drilled to a total measured depth of approximately 12,300 feet.    

The KD-1 well is the second of two planned exploration wells located in the Budong-Budong Block onshore West Sulawesi.  Harvest owns a 64.4 percent non-operated working interest in the Budong-Budong Block PSC.

Harvest Natural Resources, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is an independent energy company with principal operations in Venezuela, exploration assets in the United States, Indonesia, Gabon, China and Oman and business development offices in Singapore and the United Kingdom. For more information visit the Company's website at www.harvestnr.com.

CONTACT:
Stephen C. Haynes
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
(281) 899-5716

This press release may contain projections and other forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. They include estimates and timing of expected oil and gas production, oil and gas reserve projections of future oil pricing, future expenses, planned capital expenditures, anticipated cash flow and our business strategy. All statements other than statements of historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements. Although Harvest believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Actual results may differ materially from Harvest's expectations as a result of factors discussed in Harvest's 2010 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other public filings.

SOURCE Harvest Natural Resources, Inc.