CEO of Empire Announces Personal Arrangement to Secure a US$ 50 Million Line of Credit to Be Made Available to Empire.

LEAWOOD, Kan. -- Malcolm Bendall, Chief Executive Officer of Empire Energy Corporation International (Empire) (OTCBB: EEGC.OB) (OTCBB: EEGC) today announced that he received written notice of approval to provide him US$50 million for the purpose of providing financing to Empire. Initially, Mr. Bendall intends to use the proceeds of this financing to take down his Rights in the Rights Offering currently under review by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov) followed by taking down his over allotment option to the extent that other Rights Holders fail to exercise. Additionally, to the extent necessary, Mr. Bendall will provide financing to the company, if necessary, prior to the effectiveness of the Rights Offering registration statement, and subsequent thereto with a view toward completing the drilling of Bellevue #1 and Thunderbolt #1 exploration wells in Empire's Tasmanian basin Special Exploration License (SEL13/98) on successful completion of the financial arrangements. In addition, funding is intended to finance the seismic, drilling and further exploration in the concessions SEL 4/2009 and 5/2009, to include the coal bed methane horizons in the SEL 13/98 tenement, which have been applied for by Empire and for which award is expected shortly. Further updates will be provided as soon as more details are available regarding this financing.

Empire Energy Corporation 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.

Aerial pictures of the well site and the progress of the setup are available on Empire's Web sites www.empireenergy.com and www.gslm.com.

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 International, please refer to 10-K and 10 Q reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.