Note: All figures are quoted in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted.

CALGARY, Dec. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Ivanhoe Energy Inc. (TSX: IE; NASDAQ:
IVAN) announced today that it has closed the previously announced Share
Purchase and Sale Agreement with MIE Holdings Corporation (MIE) for all
of the outstanding shares of its indirect, wholly owned subsidiary,
Pan-China Resources Ltd.

In exchange for its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Ivanhoe Energy
will receive the $45 million purchase price, less adjustments. Per the
terms of the Agreement, initial proceeds of approximately $35.6 million were delivered on closing and the Company will receive the
remainder within six months.

Ivanhoe Energy expects to complete the transaction to divest the Zitong
asset by the end of 2012. In 2013 the Company plans to take
significant steps to further develop the Tamarack project in Canada and
Block 20 in Ecuador, and commercialize the HTL technology.

Ivanhoe Energy is an independent international heavy oil exploration and
development company focused on pursuing long-term growth in its
reserves and production using advanced technologies, including its
proprietary heavy oil upgrading process (HTL^TM). Core operations are in Canada, United States, Ecuador, China and
Mongolia, with business development opportunities worldwide. Ivanhoe
Energy trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol IE
and on the NASDAQ Capital Market with the ticker symbol IVAN.

For more information about Ivanhoe Energy Inc. please visit www.ivanhoeenergy.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This document includes forward-looking statements, including
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but
are not limited to the potential for commercialization and future
application of the heavy oil upgrading technology and other
technologies, statements relating to the continued advancement of
Ivanhoe Energy’s projects, statements relating to the timing and amount
of proceeds of agreed upon and contemplated disposition transactions,
statements relating to anticipated capital expenditures, statements
relating to the timing and success of regulatory review applications,
and other statements which are not historical facts. When used in this
document, the words such as “could,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,”
“intend,” “may,” “potential,” “should,” and similar expressions
relating to matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking
statements. Although Ivanhoe Energy believes that its expectations
reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, such
statements involve risks and uncertainties and no assurance can be
given that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking
statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to
differ from these forward-looking statements include the potential that
the Company’s projects will experience technological and mechanical
problems, new product development will not proceed as planned, the HTL^TM technology to upgrade bitumen and heavy oil may not be commercially
viable, geological conditions in reservoirs may not result in
commercial levels of oil and gas production, the availability of
drilling rigs and other support services, uncertainties about the
estimates of reserves, the risk associated with doing business in
foreign countries, environmental risks, changes in product prices, our
ability to raise capital as and when required, our ability to complete
agreed upon and planned asset dispositions, competition and other risks
disclosed in Ivanhoe Energy’s 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR and the
Canadian Securities Commissions on SEDAR.

SOURCE Ivanhoe Energy Inc.