VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(April 18, 2012) – Kent Exploration Inc. (TSX VENTURE:KEX)(PINKSHEETS:KXPLF)(FRANKFURT:7KX), (the “Company” or “Kent”) reports the presence of significant graphitic intervals in drill core at its Alexander River Project in the Reefton goldfield, South Island, New Zealand. (“NZ”). The graphite is of a soft silvery-grey nature and is present as graphitic schist in carbonaceous parts of a greywacke sequence (Greenland Group) and as associated small veins along minor faults.

During our 2010 and 2011 work programs, the Company conducted an IP survey, followed up by a diamond drill program, on our Alexander River Gold Project in New Zealand. In four diamond drill holes, AX002, AX003, AX005 and AX009, over a strike length of approximately 1 kilometer, graphite is variably present in the drill core. In drill hole AX005, a 43 meter graphitic interval is present from 97 meters to 140 meters. In drill hole AX002, a 34 meter graphitic interval is present from 107 meters to 131 meters. In drill hole AX009, graphite was present intermittently from 128 meters to 145 meters and from 206 meters to 217 meters down hole, while in AX003 variable graphite was present intermittently between 173 meters to 210 meters down hole.

Some of the IP anomalism is likely attributable to the graphite. Only moderately anomalous zones of the IP anomalies were drilled and the stronger anomalous IP zones below and parallel to the historic gold workings have the potential to contain more concentrated graphite. Depending on the quality, graphite can be economic with grades as low as 2-3%.

Due to short supply, graphite is rapidly becoming a strategic material. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) in its most recent pricing survey notes that Graphite prices for 2011 ranged from US$299/ton for amorphous graphite to US$2,070 per ton for flake, lump and chip graphite. For higher purity graphite, prices range up to US$3,000 per ton.

The Company President & CEO, Graeme O’Neill, comments, “During our gold exploration programs we continue to discover industrial minerals on our gold projects. Our barite project, and now our bentonite project, both bring us the potential to establish near term cash flow. Any positive cash flow will allow us to reduce future dilution and fund our gold exploration with its attendant upside.”

Worldwide there is a strong association between metalliferous deposits and graphitic occurrences. Graphite acts as a reducing agent that causes precipitation of the gold. The gold is commonly found in quartz veins where they cross cut the graphitic zones.

At the historic Alexander River gold mine, historic reports identify approximately 41,000 ounces of lode gold as being mined from 47,000 tons of ore. The total strike length of the mineralized zone at Alexander is approximately 2.5 kilometers and in the mid eighties, as reported in filings with NZ Petroleum and Minerals, a historic potential resource of 4 million tons grading 5+ g/t gold was reportedly identified over a strike length of 1.2 kilometers for a potential 643,000 ounces of gold. Follow up sampling of the historic trenches and adits conducted by the Company essentially confirmed the historic grades. The recent diamond drilling program has identified an additional gold bearing zone parallel to, and approximately 300 feet to the north of, the main Alexander River gold bearing zone.

Kent Exploration Inc. is a junior exploration company with a 100% interest in all its major projects, and is planning on building shareholder value through establishing cash flow from its Flagstaff Mountain, WA, barite mine, and then from its now wholly owned bentonite property in Nevada. Any positive cash flow is intended to reduce dilution and fund exploration on its three major high grade gold prospects (Alexander River, Paparoa and Lyell), in the highly prolific West Coast South Island gold fields of New Zealand. Additional shareholder value has been established through its approximately 22% interest in Archean Star Resources Inc, (“Archean”) which is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ASP.

The Company has an experienced management and technical team with extensive exploration expertise and offers investors the potential for a major gold discovery on its New Zealand gold projects.

This News Release has been prepared on behalf of the Kent Exploration Inc. Board of Directors, which accepts full responsibility for its contents. The contents of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Clay Conway, P. Geol., a Qualified Person as recognized by National Instrument NI-43-101 and a director of the Company.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Graeme O’Neill, President