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BHP Billiton To Combine Coal Businesses

Number 07/07

BHP Billiton today announced that, as part of the decision to manage the Energy Coal business alongside the Iron Ore, Manganese and Metallurgical Coal businesses, Energy Coal and Metallurgical Coal would now be brought together under a single Customer Sector Group President.

The current President Metallurgical Coal, Dave Murray, will become President of Coal, with responsibility for both the Metallurgical Coal and Energy Coal businesses. He will continue to report to Chris Lynch, Group President Carbon Steel Materials. Mr Murray has deep experience in the coal industry and specifically in South Africa.

Mr Lynch said the integration of the Energy Coal assets into the broader Carbon Steel Materials group had been successfully completed and the next stage was to combine the coal businesses under a single Customer Sector Group President. He said the combination would further strengthen BHP Billiton’s commitment to improving and enhancing the operations of the Group’s coal assets in Australia, South Africa, Colombia, the US and Indonesia. There will be no change to the group’s marketing structure.

"This combination will allow us to maximise the operating synergies between our coal businesses and facilitate the transfer of skills and systems between countries and operations. It confirms our commitment to further improve the coal business in each of the countries where we operate," Mr Lynch said.

Mr Lynch said that the current President Energy Coal, Mahomed Seedat, had played a valuable leadership role in the Energy Coal business and, in particular, had made significant progress in improving the performance of the South African Energy Coal assets. Mr Lynch said that he wanted to publicly acknowledge and thank Mr Seedat for his efforts in that regard.

For further information please contact:

Australia
Samantha Evans, Media Relations
Tel: +61 3 9609 2898
email: Samantha.Evans@bhpbilliton.com

Jane Belcher, Investor Relations
Tel: +61 3 9609 3952  Mobile: +61 417 031 653
email: Jane.H.Belcher@bhpbilliton.com

United Kingdom
Mark Lidiard, Investor & Media Relations
Tel: +44 20 7802 4156  Mobile: +44 7769 934 942
email: Mark.Lidiard@bhpbilliton.com

Illtud Harri, Media Relations
Tel: +44 20 7802 4195  Mobile: +44 7920 237 246
email: Illtud.Harri@bhpbilliton.com

United States
Tracey Whitehead, Investor & Media Relations
Tel: US +1 713 599 6100 or UK +44 20 7802 4031
Mobile: +44 7917 648 093
email: Tracey.Whitehead@bhpbilliton.com

South Africa
Ivan Arriagada, Investor Relations
Tel: SA +27 11 376 2121 or UK +44 20 7802 4183
Mobile: +44 7769 936 227
email: Ivan Arriagada@bhpbilliton.com