BHP Billiton Plc - Notification of Major Interest in Shares BHP Billiton Plc Date: 7 February 2013 To: London Stock Exchange Australian Securities Exchange cc: JSE Limited New York Stock Exchange For Release: Immediately Contact: Elizabeth Hobley +44 (0) 20 7802 4054 BHP Billiton Plc – Notification of Major Interest in Shares The following notification was received yesterday, 6 February 2013, by BHP Billiton Plc from Norges Bank relating to major interests in shares of BHP Billiton Plc. BHP Billiton Limited ABN 49 004 028 077 BHP Billiton Plc Registration number 3196209 Registered in Australia Registered in England and Wales Registered Office: 180 Lonsdale Street Registered Office: Neathouse Place Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia London SW1V 1BH United Kingdom Tel +61 1300 55 4757 Fax +61 3 9609 3015 Tel +44 20 7802 4000 Fax +44 20 7802 4111 Members of the BHP Billiton group which is headquartered in Australia Sponsor: Absa Capital (the investment banking division of Absa Bank Limited, affiliated with Barclays). 1 TR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARESi 1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuer of existing shares to which voting rights are BHP Billiton Plc attached: ii GB0000566504 2 Reason for the notification (please tick the appropriate box or boxes): An acquisition or disposal of voting rights X An acquisition or disposal of qualifying financial instruments which may result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting rights are attached An acquisition or disposal of instruments with similar economic effect to qualifying financial instruments An event changing the breakdown of voting rights Other (please specify): 3. Full name of person(s) subject to the notification obligation: iii Norges Bank 4. Full name of shareholder(s)(if different from 3.):iv N/A 5. Date of the transaction and date on which the threshold is crossed or 5 February 2013 reached: v 6. Date on which issuer notified: 6 February 2013 7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or Above 3% reached: vi, vii 8. Notified details: A: Voting rights attached to shares viii, ix Class/type of Situation previous Resulting situation after the triggering transaction shares to the triggering transaction if possible using Number Number Number Number of voting % of voting rights x the ISIN CODE of of of shares rights Shares Voting Indirect Direct Direct xi xii Direct Indirect Rights GB0000566504 63,197,012 63,197,012 63,635,068 63,635,068 3.01% B: Qualifying Financial Instruments Resulting situation after the triggering transaction Type of financial Expiration Exercise/ Number of voting % of voting instrument date xiii Conversion Period xiv rights that may be rights acquired if the instrument is exercised/ converted. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial Instruments xv, xvi Resulting situation after the triggering transaction Type of financial Exercise Expiration Exercise/ Number of voting rights % of voting rights xix, xx instrument price date xvii Conversion instrument refers to period xviii N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Nominal Delta N/A N/A Total (A+B+C) Number of voting rights Percentage of voting rights 63,635,068 3.01% 9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable: xxi N/A Proxy Voting: 10. Name of the proxy holder: Norges Bank 11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will cease to hold: N/A 12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold voting rights: N/A 13. Additional information: None 14. Contact name: Stanislav Boiadjiev 15. Contact telephone number: +47 2407 3142 4 Date: 07/02/2013 03:20:00 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.