Empire Oil & Gas reported that the Western Australian State Government's Department of Industry and Resources Petroleum Division provided formal approval on Friday 1 February 2008 for the Operator of the EP 426 Permit, Empire Oil Company (WA) Limited, to drill the Moriary-1 well.

Empire has also settled and received on 1 February 2008 an Access Agreement with the Landowners of the large property on which the Moriary-1 well is to be drilled.

The Company has engaged Mr Hugh Edwards as the Company's Drilling Engineer to oversee the Company’s 2008 drilling programm in the Perth and Carnarvon Basins. Operations on the Moriary-1 wellsite are progressing with wellsite earth works completed. The 20" conductor and 13 3/8" surface casing have been drilled and cemented to a depth of 24 metres. The ADS Rig 6 is now being rigged up on location with commencement of drilling operations scheduled in the week starting 11 February 2008.

Moriary-1 is a 2550 metre well to test an anticlinal structure with Jurassic aged reservoir objectives on the F, J and L sands of the Cattamarra Coal Measures. Potential recoverable oil reserves are estimated to be F sands 3 million barrels, J Sands 4 million barrels and L Sands 4 million barrels.