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BIL - BHP Billiton Plc - Further investment in the Jansen Potash Project BHP Billiton Plc Share code: BIL ISIN: GB0000566504 NEWS RELEASE Release IMMEDIATE Time Date 23 June 2011 Number 18/11 FURTHER INVESTMENT IN THE JANSEN POTASH PROJECT BHP Billiton announced today approval for US$488 million of further investment to support development of the Jansen Potash Project in Saskatchewan, Canada. This additional pre-commitment capital will fund site preparation and the procurement of long lead time items during the project`s feasibility study. The funding will also enable BHP Billiton to develop the first 350 metres of the production and service shafts should Government approvals be received. Today`s announcement takes BHP Billiton`s investment in Jansen to $1.2 billion and the total dedicated to Saskatchewan to almost $2 billion (including acquisitions), reflecting the company`s commitment to develop a world class potash business in the province. In February 2011, BHP Billiton announced progression of the Jansen Potash Project into the feasibility study phase. On site, the company has constructed the refrigeration centre and drilled more than 55,000 metres of wells to complete the 89 freeze holes and monitoring wells required for the production and service shafts. Based on the current schedule, Jansen is expected to start producing saleable potash from its 3,370 million tonne in-situ Mineral Resource in calendar year 2015. The project is designed to ultimately produce approximately 8 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of agricultural grade potash with an estimated 70-year mine life. BHP Billiton also continues to study other potential projects in the Saskatchewan potash basin and will start drilling at Melville in July 2011, having undertaken 2D and 3D seismic surveys of the project area. The Boulder and Young projects continue to progress as do other studies in the area. While the full size and potential of these development options have yet to be confirmed, BHP Billiton believes its Saskatchewan potash business could reach an annual production capacity of more than 16mtpa. BHP Billiton Diamonds and Specialty Products President Tim Cutt said: "We continue to make good progress at Jansen and at our other potash projects in Saskatchewan. At Jansen we remain focused on the ground freezing process ahead of sinking the production and service shafts, and we continue to work with the provincial Government to secure the necessary environmental approvals. We look forward to increasing our presence in Saskatchewan as we relocate our Canadian headquarters to Saskatoon, our project pipeline matures and as we develop a significant and scalable potash business." Mineral Resources: This release includes information on Mineral Resources, which is based on information prepared by the relevant Competent Persons as named in the June 2010 Annual Report, and reported under the `Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves`(JORC Code). The Competent Persons verify that this release is based on and fairly reflects the information in the supporting documentation and agree with the form and context of the Mineral Resources presented. The Competent Persons are full time employees of BHP Billiton unless otherwise noted and have the required qualifications and experience to estimate and report Mineral Resources under the JORC Code. The relevant details of the Competent Persons, and the Mineral Resources broken down into Measured, Indicated and Inferred categories can be found at: http://www.bhpbilliton.com. Further information on BHP Billiton can be found on our Internet site: www.bhpbilliton.com Australia: Investor Relations United Kingdom & South Africa Brendan Harris, Investor Relations Andre Liebenberg, Investor Tel: +61 3 9609 4323 Relations Mobile: +61 437 134 814 Tel: +44 20 7802 4131 email: Brendan.Harris@bhpbilliton.com Mobile: +44 7920 236 974 email: Andrew Gunn, Investor Relations Andre.Liebenberg@bhpbilliton.com Tel: +61 3 9609 3575 Mobile: +61 439 558 454 United Kingdom & Americas email: Andrew.Gunn@bhpbilliton.com Ruban Yogarajah, Media Relations Tel: US +1 713 966 2907 or Australia: Media Relations UK +44 20 7802 4033 Samantha Stevens, Media Relations Mobile: UK +44 7827 082 022 Tel: +61 3 9609 2898 email: Mobile: +61 400 693 915 Ruban.Yogarajah@bhpbilliton.com email: Samantha.Stevens@bhpbilliton.com Americas
Kelly Quirke, Media Relations Scott Espenshade, Investor Relations Tel: +61 3 9609 2896 Tel: +1 713 599 6431 Mobile: +61 429 966 312 Mobile: +1 713 208 8565 email: Kelly.Quirke@bhpbilliton.com email: Scott.Espenshade@bhpbilliton.com Fiona Martin, Media Relations Tel: +61 3 9609 2211 Mobile: +61 427 777 908 email: Fiona.Martin2@bhpbilliton.com BHP Billiton Limited ABN 49 004 028 077 BHP Billiton Plc Registration Registered in Australia number 3196209 Registered Office: 180 Lonsdale Street Registered in England and Wales Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia Registered Office: Neathouse Tel +61 1300 55 4757 Fax +61 3 9609 3015 Place London SW1V 1BH United Kingdom Tel +44 20 7802 4000 Fax +44 20
7802 4111 Members of the BHP Billiton Group which is headquartered in Australia Date: 23/06/2011 17:47:01 Supplied by www.sharenet.co.za Produced by the JSE SENS Department. The SENS service is an information dissemination service administered by the JSE Limited (`JSE`). The JSE does not, whether expressly, tacitly or implicitly, represent, warrant or in any way guarantee the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information published on SENS. The JSE, their officers, employees and agents accept no liability for (or in respect of) any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential loss or damage of any kind or nature, howsoever arising, from the use of SENS or the use of, or reliance on, information disseminated through SENS.
