Toreador Resources Corp., Paris, (NASDAQ: TRGL; PARIS: TOR) has completed a merger with privately held, Houston-based ZaZa Energy LLC, creating the new entity ZaZa Energy Corp. The Houston-based company will have offices in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Paris, and now trades on Nasdaq as “ZAZA.”

ZaZa shareholders received $50 million in notes or cash and 76.2 million shares of the new combined company, representing 75% of shares outstanding. Toreador shareholders received approximately 25.4 million shares, representing 25% of the new company. Each share of Toreador was converted into one share of ZaZa common stock.

The combined portfolio includes the Eagle Ford core and the Eagle Ford-Woodbine (Eaglebine) resource plays in Texas, and the Paris Basin in France with a current total of 423,000 net acres. Both the Eagle Ford and Paris Basin businesses have strategic partnerships with subsidiaries of Hess Corp., New York (NYSE: HES).

In the Eagle Ford core, ZaZa holds 123,000 gross acres and the joint-venture work program forecasts drilling more than 280 wells by the end of 2013. The company is leasing in the Eaglebine to expand its existing 70,000 gross acres to more than 100,000 gross acres in the next 12 months. ZaZa is in discussions with potential JV partners for the Eaglebine acreage and plans to spud a first well by first-quarter 2012.

In the Paris Basin, Toreador has a one-rig oil exploration drilling program targeting traditional reservoirs. The Liassic drilling program of six nonhydraulically fractured wells is expected to commence by year-end 2012, pending final review of permits by the French administration.

Net production in the Eagle Ford core and Paris unconventional is expected to exceed 1,100 bbl. of oil equivalent (BOE) per day by year-end 2012, increasing to 5,000 BOE per day by the end of 2013, not including any future Eaglebine production, Paris Basin conventional or Liassic. Toreador’s conventional proved reserves were 5.5 million bbl. as of year-end 2010.

Rodman & Renshaw LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rodman & Renshaw Capital Group Inc. (NASDAQ: RODM), acted as advisor to ZaZa Energy Corp. as the exclusive agent for the private placement of $100 million of senior secured notes and related warrants in the completion of the merger of Toreador Resources and ZaZa Energy LLC.