Contango Announces Freeport LNG Development Terminal Use Agreement with Dow Chemical and Prospect Development Agreement with Ameritex Minerals.

Energy Editors/Business Editors

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 2004

Contango Oil & Gas Company (AMEX:MCF) announced today that Freeport LNG Development, L.P. (Freeport LNG), in which Contango holds 10 percent limited partnership interest, reached a 20-year terminal use agreement (TUA) with The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) for up to 500 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) of throughput capacity at Freeport LNG's proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal located in Quintana, Texas.

Under the terms of the TUA, Dow has made a firm commitment to reserve throughput capacity for 1.8 million tons of LNG per year (250 mmcf/d) and has until August 31, 2004 to exercise an option on the remaining 250 mmcf/d.

The anticipated LNG supply would partially be used to satisfy Dow's demand for natural gas at its petrochemical facilities located along the Texas Gulf Coast. Dow facilities in Texas and Louisiana consume nearly 600 million cubic feet per day of natural gas. Portions of the natural gas resulting from the LNG supply will be marketed to other industrial consumers and to key Gulf Coast natural gas hubs in Texas.

Dow is the first industrial energy user in the U.S. to commit to a LNG terminal capacity on a long-term basis, according to Jody Sumrall, Dow business manager for LNG and Texas Gas. "This is an important commitment for Dow; a step we need to take due to the ever-increasing demand for natural gas in the U.S. Importing LNG from other regions, such as South America, Africa and the Middle East, is a small part of a larger energy solution," said Sumrall. "This development in no way reduces the need for the U.S. to develop new additional sources of domestic natural gas. If we are to restore the domestic chemical industry to a globally competitive position and keep manufacturing jobs in America, the U.S. must further diversify its sources of energy for generating electrical power and all of us will be required to promote and participate in national programs for energy efficiency and conservation."

According to Michael S. Smith, chief executive of Freeport LNG Development, L.P., reaching a long-term contract with Dow marks an important milestone in the realization of the receiving terminal initiative. "Based on this agreement, assuming Dow exercises its option to take the full 500 million cubic feet per day and with our previously announced transaction with ConocoPhillips, we believe that the entire first phase of our facility is now sold out. We expect final approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the next couple of months, which will keep us on target to begin construction in mid-2004. LNG deliveries would begin in mid-2007."

Dow has elected to finalize the TUA with Freeport LNG pursuant to the rights granted Dow under the heads of agreement entered into by the parties in June, 2003. It is anticipated that the first phase of the LNG terminal facility will be designed with storage capacity of 320,000 cubic meters (6.9 billion cubic feet) with a vaporization send-out rate of 1.5 billion cubic feet per day. The natural gas would be transported through a 9.4-mile pipeline that will extend to Stratton Ridge, Texas, which is a major point of interconnection for a number of Texas intrastate systems.

The proposed LNG marine terminal facility and natural gas pipeline will be located entirely in Brazoria County, Texas. The LNG marine terminal facility, transfer lines, and the storage and vaporization units will be located on Quintana Island, southeast of Freeport.

The Parties

Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $33 billion, Dow serves customers in more than 180 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its approximately 46,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. For further information, visit www.Dow.com.

Freeport LNG Development, L.P. is a Delaware limited partnership formed to develop a 1.5 billion cubic feet per day LNG receiving terminal on Quintana Island in Freeport, Texas. The partnership, whose sole general partner is controlled 100% by Michael S. Smith, is responsible for all regulatory, technical and commercial functions of developing and operating the proposed facility. The limited partners owning an economic interest in the project are Michael S. Smith (60 percent) Cheniere Energy, Inc. (30 percent) (AMEX:LNG), and Contango Oil & Gas Company. (10 percent) (AMEX:MCF).

Prospect Development Program with Ameritex Minerals

The Company also announced that it has entered into a Prospect Development Program with Ameritex Minerals, a privately held San Antonio-based prospect generation and exploration company. Kenneth R. Peak, Contango's chairman and chief executive officer, said, "This agreement with Ameritex Minerals, in combination with our four other Exploration Alliance Agreements brings to 20 the number of geoscientists working to generate prospects for Contango. The annual G&A cost to Contango for this prospect generation effort is less than $100,000 per year. We expect to drill between 15 to 20 prospects in calendar year 2004 with anticipated dry hole costs net to Contango estimated at approximately $10 million. Included in our 2004 exploration prospect total are 4 to 6 exploration wells we expect to have drilled in the Gulf of Mexico in which we will not expose any risk exploration dollars."

Contango is a Houston-based, independent natural gas and oil company. The Company explores, develops, produces and acquires natural gas and oil properties primarily onshore in the Gulf Coast and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Contango also owns a 10% partnership interest in a proposed LNG terminal in Freeport, Texas. Additional information can be found on our Web page at www.mcfx.biz.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, and actual events or results may differ materially from Contango's expectations. The statements reflect Contango's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties, including those related to successful negotiations with other parties, oil and gas exploration risks, price volatility, production levels, closing of transactions, capital availability, operational and other risks, uncertainties and factors described from time to time in Contango's publicly available reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.