Notification of Major Interest in Shares BHP Billiton Plc Registration number 3196209 Registered in England and Wales Share code: BIL ISIN: GB0000566504 Issued by: BHP Billiton Plc Date: 9 October 2015 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 on 8 October 2015 by BHP Billiton Plc from Aberdeen Asset Managers Limited relating to major interests in shares of BHP Billiton Plc. Sponsor: Merrill Lynch South Africa Proprietary Limited BHP Billiton Limited ABN 49 004 028 077 BHP Billiton Plc Registration number 3196209 Registered in Australia Registered in England and Wales Registered Office: 171 Collins Street Registered Office: Neathouse Place Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia London SW1V 1LH United Kingdom Tel +61 1300 55 4757 Fax +61 3 9609 3015 Tel +44 20 7802 4000 Fax +44 20 7802 4111 The BHP Billiton Group is headquartered in Australia For filings with the FCA include the annex For filings with issuer exclude the annex 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 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): Aberdeen Asset Managers Limited (and/or acting for 3. Full name of person(s) subject to the its affiliates) as discretionary investment manager on notification obligation: iii behalf of multiple managed portfolios 4. Full name of shareholder(s) (if different from 3.):iv 5. Date of the transaction and date on which the threshold is crossed or 7 October 2015 reached: v 6. Date on which issuer notified: 8 October 2015 7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or 5% 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 the ISIN CODE of of of shares rights rights x Shares Voting Direct Direct xi Indirect xii Direct Indirect Rights GB0000566504 114,100,310 99,159,464 99,042,858 87,395,523 4.14% GB0000566504 20,182,335 15,712,760 20,182,335 15,712,760 0.74% B: Qualifying Financial Instruments Resulting situation after the triggering transaction Type of financial Expiration Exercise/ Number of voting % of voting instrument date xiii Conversion rights that may be rights Period xiv acquired if the instrument is exercised/ converted. C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial Instruments xv, xvi Resulting situation after the triggering transaction Type of financial Exercise Expiratio Exercise/ Number of voting % of voting rights instrument price n date xvii Conversio rights instrument xix, xx n period refers to xviii Nominal Delta Total (A+B+C) Number of voting rights Percentage of voting rights 103,108,283 4.88 % 9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable: xxi Proxy Voting: 10. Name of the proxy holder: 11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will cease to hold: 12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold voting rights: 13. Additional information: 14. Contact name: Ben Van Loon 15. Contact telephone number: 01224 404090 Date: 09/10/2015 05:30:00 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.