Gran Tierra Energy Announces Opening of Office in Brazil and Appointment of President for Brazil Business Unit

CALGARY, Sept. 3  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (NYSE Amex: GTE; TSX: GTE), a company focused on oil exploration and production in South America, today announced that it is opening an office in Rio de Janeiro, and appointing Julio Cesar Moreira as president of its Brazil business unit.

"Gran Tierra Energy's successful growth in South America has been driven by our ability to identify underdeveloped land in countries that provide a favorable environment for independent oil and gas exploration companies," said Dana Coffield, President and Chief Executive Officer. "While more than 20 proven petroleum basins exist in Brazil, many of the onshore and offshore shallow water regions remain relatively untested. We're entering this region to expand access to exploration opportunities, and to leverage our operating capabilities in a country in which our senior management already has experience, and which has a stable legal system and attractive fiscal terms."

Julio Cesar Moreira's appointment to the position of President of Gran Tierra Energy's Brazilian business unit will be effective September 8, 2009. Mr. Moreira has over 25 years of experience working for international companies in Brazil in senior business development positions. Most recently, he was Managing Director for IBV Petroleo Ltda, and Brazil Country Manager for EnCana Corporation where he was instrumental in capturing assets which were later sold for a combined value of over $500 million. Prior to that Mr. Moreira was New Ventures   Business Development Vice President of Unocal Corporation.

Mr. Moreira holds an Information Technology degree from Universidade Federal Fluminense in Rio de Janeiro, and a graduate degree in Marketing from Rio Catholic University. In addition, he has attended Executive Management programs in Oil and Gas at Thunderbird (USA) and the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario (Canada).

The Rio de Janeiro office will coordinate business development activities targeted at capturing high quality exploration and production opportunities in the onshore and shallow water offshore areas of Brazil. These opportunities may include new bid round acreage, production enhancement on acreage that may be acquired with pre-existing operations, farm in opportunities, and M A transactions.

In addition to a small office staff in Rio de Janeiro, Gran Tierra Energy is establishing a Brazil technical team in Calgary that will work with Mr. Moreira to evaluate Brazil opportunities. This team and Mr. Moreira will report up through Mr. Shane O'Leary, Chief Operating Officer, who previously worked closely with Mr. Moreira in his capacity as Business Unit Leader, EnCana Brazil.

Gran Tierra Energy's Brazil business unit is currently located in temporary offices at Avenida Luis Carlos Prestes, 180, Sala 349 - CEP 22775-055 - Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Telephone: [phone], Fax: [phone]. Permanent offices are expected to be established in approximately three months.

About Gran Tierra Energy Inc.

Gran Tierra Energy Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and production company, headquartered in Calgary, Canada, incorporated in the United States, trading on the NYSE Amex Exchange (GTE) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (GTE), and operating in South America. Gran Tierra Energy holds interests in producing and prospective properties in Argentina, Colombia and Peru. Gran Tierra Energy has a strategy that focuses on establishing a portfolio of producing properties, plus production enhancement and exploration opportunities to provide a base for future growth. Additional information concerning Gran Tierra Energy is available at http://www.grantierra.com/.

Gran Tierra Energy's Securities and Exchange Commission filings are available on a web site maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov/ and on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements:

The statements in this news release regarding Gran Tierra Energy's expectations that its entry into Brazil will provide access to expanded exploration opportunities, and that the opportunities in Brazil may include new bid round acreage, production enhancement of existing acreages, farm in opportunities, and M A transactions, are forward-looking statements or financial outlook (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under the meaning of applicable securities laws, including Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements, including, among others: Gran Tierra Energy may not be able to identify or negotiate opportunities on terms it believes are financially advantageous to it; and Gran Tierra Energy has not previously operated in Brazil and may experience unforeseen difficulties in operating in Brazil. Further information on potential factors that could affect Gran Tierra Energy are included in risks detailed from time to time in Gran Tierra Energy's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, without limitation, under the caption "Risk Factors" in Gran Tierra Energy's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed August 10, 2009. These filings are available on a Web site maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov/ and on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com/. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and Gran Tierra Energy disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. 

DATASOURCE: Gran Tierra Energy Inc.



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