Crown Point Ventures Ltd. Announces Successful Completion of the First Well in its 2012 Drilling Program and the Casing of its Second Well as a Potential Multizone Oil Well

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - May 18, 2012) - Crown Point Ventures Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:CWV) ("Crown Point" or "the Company") is pleased to provide this operational update and announce that the first well (EV 34) of the ten well 2012 drilling program on its El Valle concession in the Golfo San Jorge Basin, Argentina has been successfully completed as an oil well. In addition, the Company advises that the second well to be drilled (EV 33) has been cased as a potential multi-zone oil well.

El Valle - Golfo San Jorge Basin

EV 34

Crown Point successfully completed a 5.0 metre thick section of the Cañadon Seco formation in the EV 34 wellbore. This zone was perforated and the well during a 26 hour swab test produced oil at a 24 hour average rate of 326 barrels of oil per day with an oil cut of 90%. A pressure transient analysis / well test interpretation has not been carried out on the well and therefore this data should be considered to be preliminary until such analysis / interpretation has been done. These test results are not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or of ultimate recovery.

EV 33

Crown Point advises that the EV 33 well has been logged and cased as a potential multi-zone oil well. Crown Point is paying 100% of the costs to drill, case, complete and equip the drilling program and will have an 80% interest in production from the wells. Logs and samples taken while drilling indicate a total of 15 net meters of potential pay in the Cañadon Seco, Caleta Olivia and Mina el Carmen Formations. The drilling rig is being moved to the EV 36 location which is the third well to be drilled in this program.

The first six to seven wells in this program are focused on the drilling of development oil wells with multiple-zones targeted in the Cañadón Seco and Caleta Olivia formations. Over the next two years the Company plans to drill a total of 24 wells at El Valle.

El Valle has three distinct productive sedimentary formations, which, in order of surface to deepest, are the Cañadon Seco, Caleta Olivia and Mina el Carmen. Each of these formations may contain multiple discrete hydrocarbon bearing zones. Typically, the Cañadon Seco oil produces medium grade oil (API that ranges from 16-22°), while the Caleta Olivia and Mina el Carmen produce light oil (API of approximately 30°).

The Company is also undertaking a two to four well work over program of existing producing wells at El Valle to access pay zones left behind during casing the initial completion programs. This program is expected to start at about the same time the completions of the wells currently being drilled begin.

The Company has awarded the contract for the electrification of the lower part of the El Valle field. This project is expected to be complete in a four to six month period. The benefits of the project are expected to include: the ability to install high volume progressive cavity pumps which handle entrained gas more efficiently, better operational efficiencies due to more consistent rates of production and providing power for expanded facilities which are expected to reduce operating costs. Electricity will also permit the installation of surface measuring equipment as well as down hole monitoring where deemed necessary to better evaluate production conditions and reservoir characteristics.

Cañadón Ramirez - San Jorge Basin

Once the drilling of the above El Valle program is completed the Company plans to move the drilling rig to its 100% interest Cañadón Ramirez concession and drill a 2-3 well development program. Cañadón Ramirez is located on the northwest side of the San Jorge Basin. The wells are to be drilled on a 3-D seismically defined western extension of the Mata Magallanes Oeste Field. This pool extension had a confirming well bore drilled on it in 2008. Cañadón Ramirez is immediately to the west of Mata Magallanes Oeste Field which has produced 5.4 million barrels of oil. This concession, like many areas within Argentina, has easy access to existing infrastructure allowing production from this area to have a quick cycle time to market.

Laguna De Piedra - Neuquén Basin

At Laguna de Piedra where the Company holds a 100% working interest, Crown Point plans on drilling one to two exploration wells in the Neuquén Basin starting in the second half of 2012. Laguna de Piedra's primary targets are 3-D seismically defined targets focused on light oil objectives in the Punta Rosada and Quintuco sandstones. Laguna De Piedra is located in the south flank of Neuquén basin close to the Flor de Roca field and southeast of the Estación Fernandez Oro field.

Cerro Los Leones - Neuquén Basin

The Company is expecting in the near term to commence the shooting of our planned 3-D and 2-D programs. Drilling on various conventional plays and the unconventional Vaca Muerta shale is expected to commence in the second half of 2012 following interpretation and processing of the seismic data.

Initially, Crown Point plans to kick-off a two to four well drilling program targeting the Vaca Muerta formation on the western area of the concession and then drill an additional two to four vertical wells targeting the Loncoche, Neuquén group, and Huitrin formation resource type plays located on the eastern area of the concession. With multiple play types at Cerro Los Leones, Crown Point has the ability to ramp up its exploration and development programs depending on the drilling results of these initial wells.

As part of the planned drilling Crown Point plans to evaluate the unconventional Vaca Muerta shale via perforation and fracture stimulation operations on vertical wellbores initially. Following these initial prove-up operations, Crown will look to drill additional vertical and horizontal tests in the Vaca Muerta shale depending on the successful confirmation of key reservoir characteristics of the play. In a recent news release, YPF announced the drilling of a Vaca Muerta shale exploration well on the Valle de Rio Grande block which is an adjoining southern concession to Cerro de los Leones. This well was perforated and flowed 27 degree API oil from the Vaca Muerta shale prior to fracking operations.

Existing production in close proximity to Cerro Los Leones provides an understanding of the concessions exploration potential. The productive fields range from the Tertiary (Loncoche) to the Precuyo, with strong productive history in the Vaca Muerta immediately to the south of the concession in the Valle de Rio Grande oil pools. These pools have produced 89 million barrels of oil (current reported production is 5,200 barrels of oil per day), from the Vaca Muerta. Other nearby fields include Llancanelo, the largest heavy oil accumulation in Argentina, as well as the Cerro Fortunoso field with current reported production of 3,250 barrels per day of oil, and Cajón de los Caballos with current reported production of 483 barrels per day of oil.

Crown Point has a very active year planned for 2012, starting with a low risk ramp up of oil production and cash flow from our operations in the San Jorge Basin. Later in the second half of 2012 Crown Point will commence the drilling of some potentially high impact wells in Laguna de Piedra and Cerro Los Leones which Crown Point believes to have, based on production history from analogous nearby fields, the potential to deliver strong rates of production and reserves.

About Crown Point

Crown Point Ventures Ltd. is an international oil and gas exploration and development Company headquartered in Calgary Canada, incorporated in Canada, trading on the TSX Venture Exchange and operating in South America. Crown Point's exploration and development activities are focused in the Golfo San Jorge and Neuquén basins in Argentina. Crown Point has a strategy that focuses on establishing a portfolio of producing properties, plus production enhancement and exploration opportunities to provide a basis for future growth.

Advisories

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding Crown Point set forth in this document, including management's assessment of Crown Point's future plans and operations and the timing thereof, number, type and timing of wells to be drilled, the planning and development of certain prospects and the timing thereof, the prospect that the EV 33 well will be a multi-zone oil well, the Company's interpretation of the geology of certain of its properties, including expectations for potential pay in certain formations and the potential for certain formations to contain multiple hydrocarbon bearing zones, plans and timing for electrification of the El Valle field and expected benefits to be derived therefrom, and our expectation that certain of our drilling plans could have a high impact on the Company, may constitute forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws and necessarily involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions including but not limited to drilling success, expectations with respect to future production, future capital expenditures, expectations of cash flow from operating activities, commodity prices, costs associated with capital expenditures and the availability of personnel and equipment when expected. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of such information may prove to be incorrect.

These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Crown Point's control, including without limitation, risks associated with oil and gas exploration, development, exploitation, production, marketing and transportation, loss of markets, volatility of commodity prices, environmental risks, inability to obtain drilling rigs or other services, capital expenditure costs, including drilling, completion and facility costs, unexpected decline rates in wells, wells not performing as expected, delays resulting from or inability to obtain required regulatory approvals, ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, the impact of general economic conditions in Canada, Argentina, the United States and overseas, industry conditions, changes in laws and regulations (including the adoption of new environmental laws and regulations and changes to tax laws) and changes in how they are interpreted and enforced, political risks (including the risk of the expropriation of the Company's assets), increased competition, the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management, fluctuations in foreign exchange or interest rates, stock market volatility and market valuations of companies with respect to announced transactions and the final valuations thereof. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Crown Point's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that the Company will derive therefrom. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect Crown Point's operations and financial results are included in reports on file with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and may be accessed through the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com ) or Crown Point's website (www.crownpointventures.ca ). The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as at the date of this news release and Crown Point does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

Analogous Information

Certain information contained in this press release is considered "analogous information" as defined in National Instrument 51-101- Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities ("NI 51-101"). Such analogous information has not been prepared in accordance with NI 51-101 and the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook and Crown Point is unable to confirm whether such information has been prepared by a qualified reserves evaluator. In particular, this press release presents overviews of certain production data and drilling results relating to areas in which the Company believes are analogous to the areas in which the Company has an interest. Such information is based on independent public data and public information received from other producers and other public sources and the Company has no way of verifying the accuracy of such information. Such information has been presented to help demonstrate the basis for the Company's business plans and strategies. There is no certainty that such results will be achieved by the Company and such information should not be construed as an estimate of future reserves or resources or future production levels of the Company.