Form 6-K

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Form 6-K

 

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16

UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

October 21, 2009

 

 

 

BHP BILLITON LIMITED   BHP BILLITON PLC
(ABN 49 004 028 077)   (REG. NO. 3196209)
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)   (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA   ENGLAND AND WALES
(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organisation)   (Jurisdiction of incorporation or organisation)

180 LONSDALE STREET, MELBOURNE,

VICTORIA

3000 AUSTRALIA

 

NEATHOUSE PLACE, VICTORIA, LONDON,

UNITED KINGDOM

(Address of principal executive offices)   (Address of principal executive offices)

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:  x  Form 20-F ¨  Form 40-F

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):  ¨

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934:  ¨  Yes    x  No

If “Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): n/a 

 

 

 


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

    BHP Billiton Limited and BHP Billiton Plc
Date: 21 October 2009     By:  

/S/    JANE MCALOON        

    Name:   Jane McAloon
    Title:   Group Company Secretary


NEWS RELEASE

 

Release Time   IMMEDIATE
Date   21 October 2009
Number   20/09

BHP BILLITON EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT REPORT

FOR THE QUARTER ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2009

This report covers the Group’s exploration and development activities for the quarter ended 30 September 2009. This report, together with the Production Report, represents the Interim Management Statement for the purposes of the UK Listing Authority’s Disclosure and Transparency Rules. There have been no significant changes to the financial position of the Group in the quarter ended 30 September 2009. Unless otherwise stated, BHP Billiton’s interest in the projects referred to in this report is 100 per cent and references to project schedules are based on calendar years.

Development

During the quarter, we sanctioned the Mt Arthur Coal mine expansion (energy coal), known as the MAC20 Project, in the Hunter Valley, Australia.

 

Project And Ownership

   Share Of
Approved
Capex US$M
  

Initial
Production
Target Date

  

Production Capacity
(100%)

  

Quarterly Progress

Petroleum Projects

           

Pyrenees (Australia)

71.43%

Oil/Gas

   1,200    H1 CY10    96,000 barrels of oil and 60 million cubic feet gas per day    On schedule and budget. Floating Production Storage and Offtake (FPSO) conversion scope has been completed with sea trials and commissioning activities continuing. Installation of subsea facilities continue. All tophole sections drilled. 5 producers and 1 injector well completed.

Angostura Gas Phase

II (Trinidad and

Tobago)

45%

Gas

   180    H1 CY11    280 million cubic feet gas per day    On schedule and budget. Platform fabrication continues.

Bass Strait Kipper

(Australia)

32.5% - 50%

Gas/Gas Liquids

   500    CY11    10,000 bpd condensate and processing capacity of 80 million cubic feet gas per day    On schedule and budget. West Tuna platform retrofit work continuing.

Bass Strait Turrum

(Australia)

50%

Gas/Gas Liquids

   625    CY11    11,000 bpd condensate and processing capacity of 200 million cubic feet gas per day    On schedule and budget. Platform fabrication continues.

North West Shelf

CWLH Life Extension

(Australia)

16.67%

Oil

   245    CY11    Replacement vessel with capacity of 60,000 bpd oil    On schedule and budget. Floating Production Storage and Offtake (FPSO) conversion continues.

North West Shelf

North Rankin B Gas

Compression

(Australia)

16.67%

LNG

   850    CY12    2,500 million cubic feet gas per day    On schedule and budget. Jacket fabrication continuing ahead of schedule.

Minerals Projects

           

Worsley Efficiency &

Growth (Australia)

86%

Alumina

   1,900    H1 CY11    1.1 million tpa of additional alumina    On schedule and budget. Engineering is 85% complete and construction has commenced. Procurement and contracting activities are well advanced.


Iron Ore

(Western Australia)

RGP4

86.2%

Iron Ore

   1,850    H1 CY10    26 million tpa of additional iron ore system capacity    On schedule and budget. Engineering is complete, construction is essentially complete, and commissioning activities are well advanced. First ore is expected to be produced in Q4 CY09.

Iron Ore

(Western Australia)

RGP5

85%

Iron Ore

   4,800    H2 CY11    50 million tpa additional iron ore system capacity    On schedule and budget. Engineering is over 80% complete, procurement and contracting activities are well advanced, and construction has reached 18% complete.

Klipspruit

(South Africa)

100%

Energy Coal

   450    H2 CY09    Incremental 1.8 million tpa export thermal coal. Incremental 2.1 million tpa domestic thermal coal    On schedule and budget. Commissioning of the crushing stream and coal processing plant Module 1 is complete. Project is 98% complete.

Douglas-Middelburg

Optimisation (South

Africa)

100%

Energy Coal

   975    Mid CY10    10 million tpa export thermal coal and 8.5 million tpa domestic thermal coal (sustains current output)    On schedule and budget. Construction activities are progressing well with civil works complete. The erection and installation of the coal processing plant continues. Project is 74% complete.

Newcastle Third Port

Project (Australia)

35.5%

Energy Coal

   390    CY10    30 million tpa export coal loading facility    On schedule and budget. Stacker reclaimer commissioning has commenced with the remaining construction activities progressing well. Project is 75% complete.

MAC20 Project

(Australia)

100%

Energy Coal

   260    H1 CY11    Increases saleable thermal coal production by approximately 3.5 million tpa   

Approval announced, see News Release dated 24 July 2009.

On schedule and budget. Fixed plant construction underway. Project is 20% complete.

Minerals Exploration

BHP Billiton continues to identify and prioritise various exploration activities. All of the exploration activities are reviewed regularly to ensure that we are capturing value accretive opportunities for future development.

Grassroots exploration continued on copper targets in Chile, Argentina and Zambia; nickel targets in Australia; manganese targets in Gabon; and diamond targets in Canada. Exploration for iron ore, coal, bauxite and manganese was undertaken in a number of regions including Australia, South America, Russia and West Africa.

For the quarter ended 30 September 2009, BHP Billiton spent US$104 million on minerals exploration, of which US$95 million was expensed.

Petroleum Exploration

Exploration and appraisal wells drilled during the quarter or in the process of drilling as at 30 September 2009.

 

Well

  

Location

  

BHP Billiton Equity

  

Status

Mad Dog South-1

   Green Canyon Gulf of Mexico GC 826   

23.9 % BHP Billiton

(BHP Billiton operator for this well – BP operator for all other activities)

   Hydrocarbons encountered. See News Release dated 17 July 2009.

Petroleum exploration expenditure for the quarter ended 30 September 2009 was US$29 million, of which US$26 million was expensed.

Further information on BHP Billiton can be found on our website: www.bhpbilliton.com

 

Australia

Samantha Evans, Media Relations

Tel: +61 3 9609 2898 Mobile: +61 400 693 915

email: Samantha.Evans@bhpbilliton.com

 

United Kingdom

Andre Liebenberg, Investor Relations

Tel: +44 20 7802 4131 Mobile: +44 7920 236 974

email: Andre.Liebenberg@bhpbilliton.com


Peter Ogden, Media Relations

Tel: +61 3 9609 2812 Mobile: +61 428 599 190

email: Peter.Ogden@bhpbilliton.com

 

Illtud Harri, Media Relations

Tel: +44 20 7802 4195 Mobile: +44 7920 237 246

email: Illtud.Harri@bhpbilliton.com

Kelly Quirke, Media Relations

Tel: +61 3 9609 2896 Mobile: +61 429 966 312

email: Kelly.Quirke@bhpbilliton.com

 

United States

Scott Espenshade, Investor Relations

Tel: +1 713 599 6431 Mobile: +1 713 208 8565

email: Scott.Espenshade@bhpbilliton.com

Leng Lau, Investor Relations

Tel: +61 3 9609 4202 Mobile: +61 403 533 706

email: Leng.Y.Lau@bhpbilliton.com

 

Ruban Yogarajah, Media Relations

Tel: US +1 713 966 2907 or UK +44 20 7802 4033

Mobile: UK +44 7827 082 022

email: Ruban.Yogarajah@bhpbilliton.com

South Africa

Bronwyn Wilkinson, Investor and Media Relations

Tel: +44 20 7802 4015 Mobile: +44 7500 785 892

email: Bronwyn.Wilkinson@bhpbilliton.com

 

 

BHP Billiton Limited ABN 49 004 028 077

Registered in Australia

Registered Office: 180 Lonsdale Street

Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia

Tel +61 1300 55 4757 Fax +61 3 9609 3015

 

BHP Billiton Plc Registration number 3196209

Registered in England and Wales

Registered Office: Neathouse Place

London SW1V 1BH United Kingdom

Tel +44 20 7802 4000 Fax +44 20 7802 4111

A member of the BHP Billiton group which is headquartered in Australia