NEWSROOM

    TORONTO, June 11 /CNW/ - Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. (TSX: PRE)
announced today that it has discovered oil at its Abanico 20 well located
within the Abanico Block, in the Upper Magdalena Valley of Colombia.

    ABANICO BLOCK

    The Abanico 20 exploratory well was drilled in the northeastern section
of the Abanico oilfield, located in the Magdalena Upper Valley Basin, from May
18 to 30, 2009. The well found the Lower Guadalupe Member at 2,986 feet
measured depth (MD), or 1,809 feet true vertical depth at sub-sea level
(TVDSS). The petro-physical evaluation shows a net-oil pay of 113 feet in
these sandstones, with an average porosity of 22.6%. A total of 46 feet were
perforated in the interval 2990 - 3036 feet MD, resulting in an initial,
natural flow oil production of 901 barrels per day of 22.5 degrees API oil and
4.7% BSW. The well extends the known accumulation of the field to the
northeast. The company is now planning an extended production test. Pacific
Rubiales has a 50% working interest in the non-commercial area of the Abanico
Block, where this well is located, and which was acquired by the company in
the Kappa Resources acquisition in 2008.
    Ronald Pantin, the company's Chief Executive Officer, stated: "The
results announced today reinforce our belief in the robustness of our
exploration activity and its potential to continue adding value."

    Pacific Rubiales, a Canadian-based company and producer of natural gas
and heavy crude oil, owns 100 percent of Meta Petroleum Corp., a Colombian oil
operator which operates the Rubiales and Piriri oil fields in the Llanos Basin
in association with Ecopetrol S.A., the Colombian national oil company. The
company is focused on identifying opportunities primarily within the eastern
Llanos Basin of Colombia as well as in other areas in Colombia and northern
Peru. Pacific Rubiales has a current net production of approximately 34,000
barrels of oil equivalent per day, with working interests in 34 blocks in
Colombia and Peru.

    Boe may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe
conversion ratio of 6 mcf: 1 bbl is based on an energy equivalency conversion
method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value
equivalency at the wellhead.

    Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements,
other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or
developments that the company believes, expects or anticipates will or may
occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding
estimates and/or assumptions in respect of production, revenue, cash flow and
costs, reserve and resource estimates, potential resources and reserves and
the company's exploration and development plans and objectives) are
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the
current expectations or beliefs of the company based on information currently
available to the company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number
of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the company to
differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and
even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can
be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects
on the company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ
materially from current expectations include, among other things: uncertainty
of estimates of capital and operating costs, production estimates and
estimated economic return; the possibility that actual circumstances will
differ from the estimates and assumptions; failure to establish estimated
resources or reserves; fluctuations in petroleum prices and currency exchange
rates; inflation; changes in equity markets; political developments in
Colombia or Peru; changes to regulations affecting the company's activities;
uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in
the future; the uncertainties involved in interpreting drilling results and
other geological data; and the other risks disclosed under the heading "Risk
Factors" and elsewhere in the company's annual information form dated April 1,
2009 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks
only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by
applicable securities laws, the company disclaims any intent or obligation to
update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or results or otherwise. Although the company believes that the
assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable,
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and
accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the
inherent uncertainty therein.

    %SEDAR: 00007953E