Nexen Responds to Incident at Long Lake Facility

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Jan. 15, 2016) - Nexen Energy ULC (Nexen) is responding to an incident at its Long Lake oil sands facility south of Fort McMurray.

In the afternoon of Friday, January 15, an explosion occurred at Nexen's Long Lake facility in northern Alberta. Our emergency response plan has been activated and response personnel, including first responders from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, are on site. We are deeply saddened to confirm one fatality and a second person is at hospital. All other personnel are accounted for.

The affected facility has been shut down and we are stabilizing the scene. There is no immediate danger to the neighbouring communities or personnel still on site.

Regulators have been notified.

We will continue to update the media as necessary.

Nexen is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited.

This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding expected future events, business prospectus or financial results. The words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors the Company believes are appropriate under the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will meet the expectations and predictions of the Company depends on a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause the actual results, performance and financial condition to differ materially from the Company's expectations, including but not limited to those associated with fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas prices, the exploration or development activities, the capital expenditure requirements, the business strategy, whether the transactions entered into by the Group can complete on schedule pursuant to their terms and timetable or at all, the highly competitive nature of the oil and natural gas industries, the foreign operations, environmental liabilities and compliance requirements, and economic and political conditions in the People's Republic of China. For a description of these and other risks and uncertainties, please see the documents the Company files from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including the 2014 Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on 22 April 2015.

Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company cannot assure that the results or developments anticipated will be realised or, even if substantially realised, that they will have the expected effect on the Company, its business or operations.