BHP Billiton PLC: BHP Billiton Production Repor | Company Announcements

Wednesday 20 January, 2010

BHP Billiton PLC

BHP Billiton Production Repor

RNS Number : 8144F

BHP Billiton PLC

19 January 2010

NEWS RELEASE
Release Time	IMMEDIATE
Date	20 January 2010
Number	02/10

BHP BILLITON PRODUCTION REPORT FOR THE HALF YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2009

Another half year production record for petroleum and iron ore, due to successful growth project delivery. Half year production records were also set for nickel and zinc.

Half year production records achieved at Western Australia Iron Ore, North West Shelf, Hunter Valley Energy Coal, Poitrel and Nickel West (all Australia), Samarco and Alumar refinery (both Brazil) and Zamzama (Pakistan).

Quarterly production records achieved for alumina and nickel, and at North West Shelf, Nickel West, Alumar refinery and Zamzama.

During the half year first production was achieved at Western Australia Iron Ore Rapid Growth Project 4 (RGP4), Alumar refinery expansion and Klipspruit expansion (South Africa), reflecting our continued investment through the cycle. With the completion of RGP4, Western Australia Iron Ore operations would have more than doubled its installed capacity since the accelerated growth program commenced in 2002.

During the December quarter we saw strong price recovery across the commodity suite driven by demand in China and restocking in the developed world.

Government stimulus measures appear to have supported a gradual return to normalised global trade, albeit from a low base, and most key indicators across the developed economies showed improvement.

Going forward the speed of recovery in the developed economies remains uncertain, particularly considering the eventual withdrawal of government stimulus. In China the impact of measures to control loan growth will add another future variable.

Consequently we expect some degree of volatility in the short term outlook for our commodities.

Petroleum

	DEC 2009 HALF	DEC 2009 QTR	DEC H09 vs DEC H08	DEC Q09 vs DEC Q08	DEC Q09 vs SEPT Q09
Crude Oil, Condensate and Natural Gas Liquids ('000 bbl)	47,561	22,893	28%	26%	-7%
Natural Gas (bcf)	192.05	92.81	4%	3%	-6%
Total Petroleum Products (million boe)	79.57	38.36	17%	16%	-7%

Total Petroleum Production - Petroleum has delivered another half year production record. Production was higher than the December 2008 half year due to ramp up of Shenzi (USA), strong reservoir performance from Atlantis and no weather related interruptions. The December 2009 quarter production decreased against the previous quarter due lower seasonal demand in eastern Australia and planned downtime at Gulf of Mexico non-operated assets - Mad Dog and Atlantis (all USA).

Crude Oil, Condensate, and Natural Gas Liquids - Crude and condensate production was significantly higher than the December 2008 half year due to Shenzi start-up, with the facility operating above design capacity. Strong reservoir performance from Atlantis and the lack of hurricane downtime also contributed to the significant increase in production.

Production was down against the September 2009 quarter due to natural field decline, lower seasonal associated gas demand in eastern Australia and planned maintenance in Gulf of Mexico assets.

Natural Gas - Production was higher than the December 2008 half year mainly due to the contribution from recently commissioned growth projects in North West Shelf (Australia) and strong natural gas production in Pakistan. Production was down against the September 2009 quarter mainly due to lower seasonal demand in eastern Australia.

Aluminium

	DEC 2009 HALF	DEC 2009 QTR	DEC H09 vs DEC H08	DEC Q09 vs DEC Q08	DEC Q09 vs SEPT Q09
Alumina ('000 tonnes) (a)	1,780	939	1%	5%	12%
Aluminium ('000 tonnes)	626	313	1%	1%	0%

Alumina - Production was higher than all comparative periods due to the continued ramp up of the Alumar refinery expansion. Alumar is currently operating at 80 per cent of the new nameplate capacity and is expected to reach full capacity by the end of June 2010. However, production during the September 2009 quarter was impacted by an unplanned calciner outage at Worsley Alumina (Australia). The Worsley stockpiled hydrate is expected to be recovered by the end of the June 2010 financial year.

Aluminium - Production across all operations was in line with comparative periods.

Base Metals

	DEC 2009 HALF	DEC 2009 QTR	DEC H09 vs DEC H08	DEC Q09 vs DEC Q08	DEC Q09 vs SEPT Q09
Copper ('000 tonnes)	555.0	271.1	-10%	-12%	-5%
Lead (tonnes)	124,433	63,073	0%	-4%	3%
Zinc (tonnes)	106,260	59,835	33%	58%	29%
Silver ('000 ounces)	22,458	11,689	3%	2%	9%
Uranium Oxide Concentrate (Uranium) (tonnes)	1,478	348	-25%	-60%	-69%

Copper - Production was lower than comparative periods mainly due to the Clark Shaft outage at Olympic Dam (Australia), reducing production by approximately 20 thousand tonnes, and industrial action at Spence (Chile), which led to decreased production of approximately 28 thousand tonnes. This was partially offset by stronger production at Escondida (Chile) due to higher grade and the return of the Laguna Seca SAG mill to full operation, following the successful repairs completed in the September 2009 quarter.

The cessation of Pinto Valley (USA) sulphide mining in February 2009 also impacted production when compared to the December 2008 half year and quarter.

Olympic Dam ore hoisting continued to operate at approximately 25 per cent of capacity. Mining of higher grade ore zones has been prioritised following the Clark Shaft incident. Repairs to the Clark Shaft haulage system are progressing well. Currently, Clark Shaft production is expected to resume in the March 2010 quarter, however, we will regularly review the repairs development.

At 31 December 2009 the Group had 260,240 tonnes of outstanding copper sales that were revalued at a weighted average price of US$7,297 per tonne. The final price of these sales will be determined in 2010. In addition, 234,871 tonnes of copper sales from the 2009 financial year were subject to a finalisation adjustment in the current period. The finalisation adjustment and provisional pricing impact as at 31 December 2009 will increase earnings(b) by US$467 million for the period.

Lead - Production was in line with all comparative periods.

Zinc - Production was higher than all comparative periods due to increased zinc grade at Antamina and Cannington (Australia).

Silver - Production was higher than all comparative periods due to increased production at Antamina and Escondida, and higher ore milled at Cannington.

Uranium - Production during the December 2009 quarter was impacted by the Olympic Dam incident noted above.

Diamonds & Specialty Products

	DEC 2009 HALF	DEC 2009 QTR	DEC H09 vs DEC H08	DEC Q09 vs DEC Q08	DEC Q09 vs SEPT Q09
Diamonds ('000 carats)	1,540	760	13%	28%	-3%

Diamonds - Production was higher than the December 2008 half year and quarter due to an increase in ore processed and the full ramp up of the Koala Underground (Canada) mine which contains a larger proportion of higher value carats. Production continues to be influenced by variability of ore sources due to the mix of open pit and underground mining.

Stainless Steel Materials

	DEC 2009 HALF	DEC 2009 QTR	DEC H09 vs DEC H08	DEC Q09 vs DEC Q08	DEC Q09 vs SEPT Q09
Nickel ('000 tonnes) (c)	84.4	49.0	45%	20%	38%

Nickel - Production was higher than all comparative periods due to record performance at Nickel West (Australia). The September 2009 quarter was impacted by planned maintenance at Cerro Matoso (Colombia) and a restriction in hydrogen supply at the Kwinana Nickel Refinery (Australia). The December 2008 half year also included the major furnace rebuild at the Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter (Australia). In the December 2009 quarter, the Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter achieved record quarterly production.

Iron Ore

	DEC 2009 HALF	DEC 2009 QTR	DEC H09 vs DEC H08	DEC Q09 vs DEC Q08	DEC Q09 vs SEPT Q09
Iron Ore ('000 tonnes)	62,555	32,449	6%	11%	8%

Iron Ore - Record production and shipments were achieved for the half year and quarter ended December 2009 through the utilisation of rail and port infrastructure improvements as part of RGP4. Ramp up of RGP4 is continuing with full capacity expected to be achieved by the end of calendar year 2011. Including RGP4, the full installed capacity across the Western Australia Iron Ore operations is 155 million tonnes per annum (100 per cent basis).

For the half year ended December 2009, 54 per cent of Western Australia Iron Ore shipments on a wet metric tonne basis were based on annually agreed pricing, with the remainder sold on shorter term reference pricing.

Manganese

	DEC 2009 HALF	DEC 2009 QTR	DEC H09 vs DEC H08	DEC Q09 vs DEC Q08	DEC Q09 vs SEPT Q09
Manganese Ore ('000 tonnes)	2,693	1,537	-17%	9%	33%
Manganese Alloy ('000 tonnes)	194	131	-49%	-28%	108%

Manganese Ore - As expected, production for the December 2009 quarter was higher in line with improved demand. Production is expected to return to normal levels in the March 2010 quarter.

Manganese Alloy - As highlighted in the previous report, December 2009 quarter production was approximately 65 per cent of capacity. Furnaces restarted since the September 2009 quarter are progressively ramping up as the demand environment improves. Production is expected to be at full capacity towards the end of the March 2010 quarter.

Metallurgical Coal

	DEC 2009 HALF	DEC 2009 QTR	DEC H09 vs DEC H08	DEC Q09 vs DEC Q08	DEC Q09 vs SEPT Q09
Metallurgical Coal ('000 tonnes)	18,297	8,893	-5%	-12%	-5%

Metallurgical Coal - The December 2009 quarterly production was impacted by planned maintenance at Queensland Coal and planned longwall moves at Illawarra Coal (both Australia). The Illawarra Coal longwall moves will continue to impact production in the March 2010 quarter. Despite lower production, record quantities of coking coal were shipped during the half year in response to stronger demand conditions.

Energy Coal

	DEC 2009 HALF	DEC 2009 QTR	DEC H09 vs DEC H08	DEC Q09 vs DEC Q08	DEC Q09 vs SEPT Q09
Energy Coal ('000 tonnes)	35,519	15,460	-1%	-3%	-14%

Energy Coal - Production in the December 2009 quarter was impacted by planned and unplanned interruptions across various operations. Production at Cerrejon (Colombia) was constrained by lower demand. New Mexico (USA) was impacted by planned outages and South African mines were impacted by unplanned maintenance and weather interruptions.

(a) Excluding Suriname which was sold effective 31 July 2009.

(b) Earnings before interest and tax.

Throughout this report, unless otherwise stated, production volumes refer to BHP Billiton share and exclude suspended and sold operations.

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 & South Africa

Andre Liebenberg, Investor Relations

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

email: Andre.Liebenberg@bhpbilliton.com

Amanda Buckley, Media Relations

Tel: +61 3 9609 2209 Mobile: +61 419 801 349

email: Amanda.Buckley@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

Americas

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

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

BHP BILLITON PRODUCTION SUMMARY - CONTINUING OPERATIONS
		QUARTER ENDED			HALF YEAR ENDED		% CHANGE
							DEC H09	DEC Q09	DEC Q09
		DEC	SEPT	DEC	DEC	DEC	vs	vs	vs
		2008	2009	2009	2009	2008	DEC H08	DEC Q08	SEPT Q09
PETROLEUM
Crude oil & condensate	('000 bbl)	16,012	21,648	20,506	42,154	32,192	31%	28%	-5%
Natural gas	(bcf)	90.23	99.24	92.81	192.05	185.50	4%	3%	-6%
Natural gas liquid	('000 bbl)	2,107	3,020	2,387	5,407	4,847	12%	13%	-21%
Total Petroleum Products	(million boe)	33.16	41.21	38.36	79.57	67.96	17%	16%	-7%
ALUMINIUM
Alumina (a)	('000 tonnes)	897	841	939	1,780	1,754	1%	5%	12%
Aluminium	('000 tonnes)	310	313	313	626	619	1%	1%	0%
BASE METALS
Copper	('000 tonnes)	308.2	283.9	271.1	555.0	617.1	-10%	-12%	-5%
Lead	(tonnes)	66,022	61,370	63,073	124,443	124,274	0%	-4%	3%
Zinc	(tonnes)	37,870	46,425	59,835	106,260	79,631	33%	58%	29%
Gold	(ounces)	45,790	39,911	45,041	84,952	87,541	-3%	-2%	13%
Silver	('000 ounces)	11,515	10,769	11,689	22,458	21,815	3%	2%	9%
Uranium oxide concentrate	(tonnes)	860	1,130	348	1,478	1,970	-25%	-60%	-69%
Molybdenum	(tonnes)	411	241	113	354	1,019	-65%	-73%	-53%
DIAMONDS AND SPECIALTY PRODUCTS
Diamonds	('000 carats)	594	780	760	1,540	1,367	13%	28%	-3%
STAINLESS STEEL MATERIALS
Nickel (b)	('000 tonnes)	40.7	35.4	49.0	84.4	58.4	45%	20%	38%
IRON ORE
Iron ore	('000 tonnes)	29,355	30,106	32,449	62,555	59,179	6%	11%	8%
MANGANESE
Manganese ore	('000 tonnes)	1,412	1,156	1,537	2,693	3,242	-17%	9%	33%
Manganese alloy	('000 tonnes)	181	63	131	194	384	-49%	-28%	108%
METALLURGICAL COAL
Metallurgical coal	('000 tonnes)	10,150	9,404	8,893	18,297	19,360	-5%	-12%	-5%
ENERGY COAL
Energy coal	('000 tonnes)	15,929	18,059	15,460	33,519	33,993	-1%	-3%	-14%

(a) Excluding Suriname which was sold effective 31 July 2009.

(b) Excluding Yabulu which was sold effective 31 July 2009.

Throughout this report figures in italics indicate that this figure has been adjusted since it was previously reported.

BHP BILLITON ATTRIBUTABLE PRODUCTION
			QUARTER ENDED					HALF YEAR ENDED
		BHP Billiton	DEC	MAR	JUNE	SEPT	DEC	DEC	DEC
		Interest	2008	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2008
PETROLEUM
Production
	Crude oil & condensate ('000 bbl)		16,012	15,613	18,523	21,648	20,506	42,154	32,192
	Natural gas (bcf)		90.23	82.19	97.17	99.24	92.81	192.05	185.50
	NGL ('000 bbl) (a)		2,107	2,361	2,840	3,020	2,387	5,407	4,847
	Total Petroleum Products (million boe)		33.16	31.67	37.56	41.21	38.36	79.57	67.96
ALUMINIUM
ALUMINA
Production ('000 tonnes)
	Worsley	86%	756	688	747	709	755	1,464	1,489
	Suriname (b)	45%	242	226	226	78	-	78	483
	Alumar	36%	141	137	135	132	184	316	265
	Total		1,139	1,051	1,108	919	939	1,858	2,237
ALUMINIUM
Production ('000 tonnes)
	Hillside	100%	176	174	177	179	180	359	351
	Bayside	100%	25	24	25	25	25	50	50
	Alumar	40%	44	44	44	44	43	87	89
	Mozal	47%	65	62	64	65	65	130	129
	Total		310	304	310	313	313	626	619
BASE METALS (c)
COPPER
Payable metal in concentrate ('000 tonnes)
	Escondida	57.5%	102.7	86.6	111.5	102.8	130.6	233.4	219.5
	Antamina	33.8%	28.6	25.7	26.3	24.3	26.6	50.9	57.0
	Pinto Valley (d)	100%	14.7	4.4	-	-	-	-	28.9
	Total		146.0	116.7	137.8	127.1	157.2	284.3	305.4
Cathode ('000 tonnes)
	Escondida	57.5%	42.1	45.0	49.4	47.9	45.9	93.8	77.7
	Cerro Colorado	100%	26.3	26.5	27.5	18.6	21.6	40.2	48.1
	Spence	100%	44.5	47.7	44.8	51.0	18.8	69.8	80.2
	Pinto Valley (d)	100%	1.7	1.5	1.4	1.6	1.5	3.1	3.3
	Olympic Dam	100%	47.6	45.4	46.3	37.7	26.1	63.8	102.4
	Total		162.2	166.1	169.4	156.8	113.9	270.7	311.7
LEAD
Payable metal in concentrate (tonnes)
	Cannington	100%	65,622	46,259	57,145	60,879	61,701	122,580	123,390
	Antamina	33.8%	400	976	1,397	491	1,372	1,863	884
	Total		66,022	47,235	58,542	61,370	63,073	124,443	124,274
ZINC
Payable metal in concentrate (tonnes)
	Cannington	100%	14,199	12,943	13,258	15,190	18,324	33,514	28,648
	Antamina	33.8%	23,671	26,454	30,929	31,235	41,511	72,746	50,983
	Total		37,870	39,397	44,187	46,425	59,835	106,260	79,631
BASE METALS (continued)
GOLD
Payable metal in concentrate (ounces)
	Escondida	57.5%	17,840	17,496	17,595	13,905	20,924	34,829	32,231
	Olympic Dam (refined gold)	100%	27,950	23,331	29,398	26,006	24,117	50,123	55,310
	Pinto Valley (d)	100%	-	920	-	-	-	-	-
	Total		45,790	41,747	46,993	39,911	45,041	84,952	87,541
SILVER
Payable metal in concentrate ('000 ounces)
	Escondida	57.5%	738	673	686	512	825	1,337	1,406
	Antamina	33.8%	915	1,003	1,240	1,039	1,360	2,399	1,847
	Cannington	100%	9,565	6,802	8,609	9,013	9,334	18,347	17,956
	Olympic Dam (refined silver)	100%	234	200	259	205	170	375	478
	Pinto Valley (d)	100%	63	52	2	-	-	-	128
	Total		11,515	8,730	10,796	10,769	11,689	22,458	21,815
URANIUM OXIDE CONCENTRATE
Payable metal in concentrate (tonnes)
	Olympic Dam	100%	860	883	1,154	1,130	348	1,478	1,970
	Total		860	883	1,154	1,130	348	1,478	1,970
MOLYBDENUM
Payable metal in concentrate (tonnes)
	Antamina	33.8%	365	318	166	241	113	354	879
	Pinto Valley (d)	100%	46	19	-	-	-	-	140
	Total		411	337	166	241	113	354	1,019
DIAMONDS AND SPECIALTY PRODUCTS
DIAMONDS
Production ('000 carats)
	Ekati™	80%	594	951	903	780	760	1,540	1,367
STAINLESS STEEL MATERIALS
NICKEL
Production ('000 tonnes)
	CMSA	99.9%	13.0	13.1	13.7	12.0	13.0	25.0	23.7
	Yabulu (e)	100%	9.5	7.5	7.8	2.8	-	2.8	18.6
	Nickel West	100%	27.7	26.9	27.1	23.4	36.0	59.4	34.7
	Total		50.2	47.5	48.6	38.2	49.0	87.2	77.0
IRON ORE
Production ('000 tonnes) (f)
	Newman (g)	85%	8,046	7,510	7,123	7,549	8,174	15,723	16,717
	Goldsworthy Joint Venture	85%	346	558	280	428	417	845	578
	Area C Joint Venture	85%	8,716	9,181	8,407	9,189	10,207	19,396	17,925
	Yandi Joint Venture	85%	10,026	9,370	9,461	10,194	10,885	21,079	18,987
	Samarco	50%	2,221	1,569	1,777	2,746	2,766	5,512	4,972
	Total		29,355	28,188	27,048	30,106	32,449	62,555	59,179
MANGANESE
MANGANESE ORES
Saleable production ('000 tonnes)
	South Africa (h)	60%	755	351	156	428	664	1,092	1,684
	Australia (h)	60%	657	382	344	728	873	1,601	1,558
	Total		1,412	733	500	1,156	1,537	2,693	3,242
MANGANESE ALLOYS
Saleable production ('000 tonnes)
	South Africa (h) (i)	60%	112	51	5	30	76	106	245
	Australia (h)	60%	69	53	20	33	55	88	139
	Total		181	104	25	63	131	194	384
METALLURGICAL COAL
Production ('000 tonnes) (j)
	BMA	50%	6,781	5,165	6,378	5,822	5,609	11,431	13,165
	BHP Mitsui Coal (k)	80%	1,771	549	1,482	1,597	1,829	3,426	3,404
	Illawarra	100%	1,598	1,882	1,600	1,985	1,455	3,440	2,791
	Total		10,150	7,596	9,460	9,404	8,893	18,297	19,360
ENERGY COAL
Production ('000 tonnes)
	South Africa	100%	7,484	6,453	7,682	8,099	7,382	15,481	15,761
	USA	100%	3,017	2,907	4,207	4,162	2,978	7,140	7,022
	Australia	100%	2,993	2,768	3,039	3,173	2,887	6,060	5,968
	Colombia	33%	2,435	2,618	2,734	2,625	2,213	4,838	5,242
	Total		15,929	14,746	17,662	18,059	15,460	33,519	33,993

(a) LPG and Ethane are reported as Natural Gas Liquid (NGL). Product-specific conversions are made and NGL is reported in barrels of oil equivalent (boe).

(b) Suriname was sold effective 31 July 2009.

(d) The Pinto Valley operations were placed on care and maintenance in February 2009.

(e) Yabulu was sold effective 31 July 2009.

(f) Iron ore production is reported on a wet tonnes basis.

(g) Newman includes Mt Newman Joint Venture and Jimblebar.

(h) Shown on 100% basis. BHP Billiton interest in saleable production is 60%.

(i) Production includes Medium Carbon Ferro Manganese.

(j) Metallurgical coal production is reported on the basis of saleable product. Production figures include some thermal coal.

(k) Shown on 100% basis. BHP Billiton interest in saleable production is 80%.

PRODUCTION AND SHIPMENT REPORT
		QUARTER ENDED					HALF YEAR ENDED
		DEC	MAR	JUNE	SEPT	DEC	DEC	DEC
		2008	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2008
PETROLEUM
BHP Billiton attributable production unless otherwise stated.
CRUDE OIL & CONDENSATE ('000 barrels)
	Bass Strait	3,230	3,057	3,744	3,501	3,031	6,532	6,642
	North West Shelf (a)	2,434	2,150	2,178	2,305	2,362	4,667	4,549
	Stybarrow	2,720	1,843	1,538	1,328	979	2,307	6,096
	Other Australia (b)	185	158	150	172	46	218	391
	Atlantis (c) (d)	2,319	2,449	3,333	4,630	4,301	8,931	4,551
	Mad Dog (c)	1,090	1,403	1,355	1,268	906	2,174	1,915
	Shenzi (c) (e)	-	49	2,788	5,001	5,528	10,529	186
	Trinidad /Tobago	568	542	354	445	398	843	1,273
	Other Americas (c) (f)	935	613	505	473	453	926	1,671
	UK	777	796	869	629	677	1,306	1,457
	Algeria	1,664	2,457	1,611	1,793	1,717	3,510	3,288
	Pakistan	90	96	98	103	108	211	173
	Total	16,012	15,613	18,523	21,648	20,506	42,154	32,192
NATURAL GAS (billion cubic feet)
	Bass Strait	25.12	17.02	28.98	31.31	24.20	55.51	62.20
	North West Shelf (a)	31.79	31.63	32.97	32.86	33.98	66.84	58.80
	Other Australia (b)	6.35	6.75	6.11	5.83	5.47	11.30	13.68
	Atlantis (c) (d)	1.16	1.32	1.95	2.85	2.38	5.23	2.41
	Mad Dog (c)	0.25	0.33	0.33	0.35	0.20	0.55	0.44
	Shenzi (c) (e)	-	-	0.73	1.75	1.90	3.65	0.04
	Other Americas (c) (f)	1.43	1.76	1.68	1.75	1.54	3.29	2.98
	UK	9.70	8.95	8.11	5.20	5.08	10.28	17.21
	Pakistan	14.43	14.43	16.31	17.34	18.06	35.40	27.74
	Total	90.23	82.19	97.17	99.24	92.81	192.05	185.50
NGL ('000 barrels)
	Bass Strait	1,352	982	1,875	2,080	1,572	3,652	3,501
	North West Shelf (a)	402	416	437	438	464	902	766
	UK	89	31	97	51	-	51	130
	Algeria	264	932	431	451	351	802	450
	Total	2,107	2,361	2,840	3,020	2,387	5,407	4,847
TOTAL PETROLEUM PRODUCTS		33.16	31.67	37.56	41.21	38.36	79.57	67.96
(million barrels of oil equivalent) (g)

(a) North West Shelf LNG Train 5 was commissioned during the September 2008 quarter. North West Shelf Angel was commissioned during the December 2008 quarter.

(b) Other Australia includes Griffin and Minerva. Griffin ceased production on 23 October 2009.

(d) Atlantis North achieved first production on 5 June 2009.

(e) The Genghis Khan operation is reported in Shenzi. The Shenzi operation was commissioned during the March 2009 quarter.

(f) Other Americas includes Neptune, West Cameron 76, Mustang, Genesis and Starlifter. The Neptune operation was commissioned during the September 2008 quarter.

(g) Total barrels of oil equivalent (boe) conversions are based on 6000scf of natural gas equals 1 boe.

PRODUCTION AND SHIPMENT REPORT
		QUARTER ENDED					HALF YEAR ENDED
		DEC	MAR	JUNE	SEPT	DEC	DEC	DEC
		2008	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2008
ALUMINIUM
BHP Billiton attributable production and sales unless otherwise stated.
('000 tonnes)
ALUMINA
	Production
	Worsley, Australia	756	688	747	709	755	1,464	1,489
	Paranam, Suriname (a)	242	226	226	78	-	78	483
	Alumar, Brazil	141	137	135	132	184	316	265
	Total	1,139	1,051	1,108	919	939	1,858	2,237
	Sales
	Worsley, Australia	763	683	731	716	773	1,489	1,544
	Paranam, Suriname (a)	252	218	246	74	-	74	468
	Alumar, Brazil	140	110	145	154	180	334	268
	Total (b)	1,155	1,011	1,122	944	953	1,897	2,280
ALUMINIUM
	Production
	Hillside, South Africa	176	174	177	179	180	359	351
	Bayside, South Africa	25	24	25	25	25	50	50
	Alumar, Brazil	44	44	44	44	43	87	89
	Mozal, Mozambique	65	62	64	65	65	130	129
	Total	310	304	310	313	313	626	619
	Sales
	Hillside, South Africa	185	173	189	147	203	350	345
	Bayside, South Africa	24	26	22	26	27	53	48
	Alumar, Brazil	50	48	47	44	45	89	87
	Mozal, Mozambique	105	41	88	67	56	123	141
	Total	364	288	346	284	331	615	621
	Tolling Agreement (b)	27	40	31	15	-	15	58
		391	328	377	299	331	630	679

(a) Suriname was sold effective 31 July 2009.

(b) Equity Alumina from Suriname was converted into Aluminium under a third party tolling agreement. These tonnages were allocated to equity sales. This Aluminium is now treated as third party product following the sale of Suriname.

PRODUCTION AND SHIPMENT REPORT
			QUARTER ENDED					HALF YEAR ENDED
			DEC	MAR	JUNE	SEPT	DEC	DEC	DEC
			2008	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2008
BASE METALS
BHP Billiton attributable production and sales unless otherwise stated. Metals production is payable metal unless otherwise stated.
Escondida, Chile
	Material mined (100%)	('000 tonnes)	100,544	97,357	102,558	102,352	101,976	204,328	199,919
	Sulphide ore milled (100%)	('000 tonnes)	22,516	21,381	19,898	16,224	20,246	36,470	42,932
	Average copper grade	(%)	1.04%	0.93%	1.22%	1.40%	1.38%	1.39%	1.17%
	Production ex Mill (100%)	('000 tonnes)	186.3	156.4	199.6	188.4	233.0	421.4	394.9
	Production
	Payable copper	('000 tonnes)	102.7	86.6	111.5	102.8	130.6	233.4	219.5
	Payable gold concentrate	(fine ounces)	17,840	17,496	17,595	13,905	20,924	34,829	32,231
	Copper cathode (EW)	('000 tonnes)	42.1	45.0	49.4	47.9	45.9	93.8	77.7
	Payable silver concentrate	('000 ounces)	738	673	686	512	825	1,337	1,406
	Sales
	Payable copper	('000 tonnes)	93.8	93.0	114.2	88.9	144.3	233.2	212.0
	Payable gold concentrate	(fine ounces)	16,377	19,050	17,816	11,991	23,031	35,022	30,898
	Copper cathode (EW)	('000 tonnes)	41.8	45.6	48.4	40.7	51.1	91.8	73.0
	Payable silver concentrate	('000 ounces)	678	732	685	441	910	1,351	1,344
Cerro Colorado, Chile
	Material mined	('000 tonnes)	18,598	17,927	17,289	17,019	16,586	33,605	35,124
	Ore milled	('000 tonnes)	4,379	4,405	3,598	3,758	4,314	8,072	8,973
	Average copper grade	(%)	0.86%	0.86%	0.89%	0.79%	0.78%	0.78%	0.86%
	Production
	Copper cathode (EW)	('000 tonnes)	26.3	26.5	27.5	18.6	21.6	40.2	48.1
	Sales
	Copper cathode (EW)	('000 tonnes)	26.2	26.5	30.5	18.3	21.2	39.5	49.1
Spence, Chile
	Material mined	('000 tonnes)	20,562	19,505	20,049	19,111	3,800	22,911	39,300
	Ore milled	('000 tonnes)	4,154	4,300	4,921	4,670	1,190	5,860	8,644
	Average copper grade	(%)	1.66%	1.51%	1.36%	1.55%	1.22%	1.48%	1.93%
	Production
	Copper cathode (EW)	('000 tonnes)	44.5	47.7	44.8	51.0	18.8	69.8	80.2
	Sales
	Copper cathode (EW)	('000 tonnes)	43.3	45.1	45.2	42.2	32.7	74.9	77.9
Antamina, Peru
	Material mined (100%)	('000 tonnes)	28,111	27,060	29,381	27,571	29,485	57,056	58,137
	Sulphide ore milled (100%)	('000 tonnes)	8,058	7,853	8,437	8,321	8,962	17,283	16,191
	Average head grades
	- Copper	(%)	1.25%	1.22%	1.19%	1.10%	1.15%	1.13%	1.20%
	- Zinc	(%)	1.33%	1.57%	1.73%	1.65%	2.04%	1.85%	1.43%
	Production
	Payable copper	('000 tonnes)	28.6	25.7	26.3	24.3	26.6	50.9	57.0
	Payable zinc	(tonnes)	23,671	26,454	30,929	31,235	41,511	72,746	50,983
	Payable silver	('000 ounces)	915	1,003	1,240	1,039	1,360	2,399	1,847
	Payable lead	(tonnes)	400	976	1,397	491	1,372	1,863	884
	Payable molybdenum	(tonnes)	365	318	166	241	113	354	879
	Sales
	Payable copper	('000 tonnes)	29.4	28.7	24.2	25.6	26.6	52.2	56.1
	Payable zinc	(tonnes)	27,024	24,457	29,110	30,633	40,280	70,913	53,426
	Payable silver	('000 ounces)	844	754	987	1,079	1,135	2,214	1,563
	Payable lead	(tonnes)	518	207	724	1,707	703	2,410	905
	Payable molybdenum	(tonnes)	398	382	171	264	107	371	880
Cannington, Australia
	Material mined	('000 tonnes)	863	824	793	840	839	1,679	1,587
	Ore milled	('000 tonnes)	817	628	746	798	859	1,657	1,641
	Average head grades
	- Silver	(g/t)	438	398	427	418	405	411	411
	- Lead	(%)	9.5%	8.8%	9.0%	9.0%	8.5%	8.7%	8.9%
	- Zinc	(%)	3.1%	3.3%	3.0%	3.1%	3.4%	3.3%	3.0%
	Production
	Payable silver	('000 ounces)	9,565	6,802	8,609	9,013	9,334	18,347	17,956
	Payable lead	(tonnes)	65,622	46,259	57,145	60,879	61,701	122,580	123,390
	Payable zinc	(tonnes)	14,199	12,943	13,258	15,190	18,324	33,514	28,648
	Sales
	Payable silver	('000 ounces)	9,958	5,490	9,841	7,978	9,652	17,630	19,465
	Payable lead	(tonnes)	67,467	36,945	64,544	53,778	66,088	119,866	132,447
	Payable zinc	(tonnes)	10,990	11,195	15,649	10,697	19,766	30,463	27,939
Olympic Dam, Australia
	Material mined (a)	('000 tonnes)	2,419	2,415	2,370	2,479	734	3,213	5,047
	Ore milled	('000 tonnes)	2,456	2,301	2,608	2,453	717	3,170	4,974
	Average copper grade	(%)	1.80%	1.83%	1.75%	1.70%	1.99%	1.77%	1.94%
	Average uranium grade	kg/t	0.50	0.52	0.57	0.58	0.58	0.58	0.53
	Production
	Copper cathode (ER)	('000 tonnes)	44.6	42.7	42.6	34.5	25.0	59.5	96.5
	Copper cathode (EW)	('000 tonnes)	3.0	2.7	3.7	3.2	1.1	4.3	5.9
	Uranium oxide concentrate	(tonnes)	860	883	1,154	1,130	348	1,478	1,970
	Refined gold	(fine ounces)	27,950	23,331	29,398	26,006	24,117	50,123	55,310
	Refined silver	('000 ounces)	234	200	259	205	170	375	478
	Sales
	Copper cathode (ER)	('000 tonnes)	48.3	42.7	40.5	36.1	23.7	59.8	97.8
	Copper cathode (EW)	('000 tonnes)	2.8	2.7	3.8	3.2	1.5	4.7	6.1
	Uranium oxide concentrate	(tonnes)	1,262	829	1,261	537	1,540	2,077	2,130
	Refined gold	(fine ounces)	26,383	24,298	35,876	25,053	22,666	47,719	52,504
	Refined silver	('000 ounces)	250	79	400	173	198	371	482
	(a) Material mined refers to run of mine ore mined and hoisted.
Pinto Valley, USA (a)
	Production
	Copper concentrate	('000 tonnes)	14.7	4.4	-	-	-	-	28.9
	Copper cathode (EW)	('000 tonnes)	1.7	1.5	1.4	1.6	1.5	3.1	3.3
	Payable silver	('000 ounces)	63	52	2	-	-	-	128
	Payable gold	(ounces)	-	920	-	-	-	-	-
	Payable molybdenum	(tonnes)	46	19	-	-	-	-	140
	Sales
	Copper concentrate	('000 tonnes)	13.0	10.5	-	-	-	-	27.0
	Copper cathode (EW)	('000 tonnes)	1.4	1.5	1.6	1.3	1.6	2.9	3.0
	Payable silver	('000 ounces)	63	52	2	-	-	-	128
	Payable gold	(ounces)	-	920	-	-	-	-	-
	Payable molybdenum	(tonnes)	44	100	-	-	-	-	59

(a) During February 2009 the operations were placed on care and maintenance.

PRODUCTION AND SHIPMENT REPORT
			QUARTER ENDED					HALF YEAR ENDED
			DEC	MAR	JUNE	SEPT	DEC	DEC	DEC
			2008	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2008
DIAMONDS AND SPECIALTY PRODUCTS
BHP Billiton attributable production and sales unless otherwise stated.
DIAMONDS
EkatiTM, Canada
	Ore Processed (100%)	('000 tonnes)	910	1,250	1,410	1,223	1,216	2,439	2,102
	Production	('000 carats)	594	951	903	780	760	1,540	1,367

PRODUCTION AND SHIPMENT REPORT
		QUARTER ENDED					HALF YEAR ENDED
		DEC	MAR	JUNE	SEPT	DEC	DEC	DEC
		2008	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2008
STAINLESS STEEL MATERIALS
BHP Billiton attributable production and sales unless otherwise stated.
('000 tonnes)
NICKEL
CMSA, Colombia
	Production	13.0	13.1	13.7	12.0	13.0	25.0	23.7
	Sales	11.0	11.6	18.1	11.4	11.4	22.8	21.7
Yabulu, Australia (a)
	Production
	Nickel metal	9.5	7.5	7.8	2.8	-	2.8	18.6
	Cobalt	0.4	0.2	0.4	0.1	-	0.1	0.8
	Sales
	Nickel metal	9.4	9.1	7.9	2.2	-	2.2	16.6
	Cobalt	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.1	-	0.1	0.7
	(a) Yabulu was sold effective 31 July 2009.
Nickel West, Australia
	Production
	Nickel contained in concentrate	5.4	4.5	5.0	4.1	5.3	9.4	11.8
	Nickel contained in finished matte	10.8	6.1	4.1	5.0	13.0	18.0	11.4
	Nickel metal	11.5	16.3	18.0	14.3	17.7	32.0	11.5
	Nickel production	27.7	26.9	27.1	23.4	36.0	59.4	34.7
	Sales
	Nickel contained in concentrate	5.6	4.3	5.2	3.9	5.2	9.1	11.7
	Nickel contained in finished matte	10.2	5.9	5.5	3.7	11.8	15.5	10.2
	Nickel metal	6.6	15.1	19.0	14.1	17.5	31.6	11.3
	Nickel sales	22.4	25.3	29.7	21.7	34.5	56.2	33.2

PRODUCTION AND SHIPMENT REPORT
		QUARTER ENDED					HALF YEAR ENDED
		DEC	MAR	JUNE	SEPT	DEC	DEC	DEC
		2008	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2008
IRON ORE
BHP Billiton attributable production and sales unless otherwise stated.
('000 tonnes)
IRON ORE (a)
Pilbara, Australia
	Production
	Newman (b)	8,046	7,510	7,123	7,549	8,174	15,723	16,717
	Goldsworthy Joint Venture	346	558	280	428	417	845	578
	Area C Joint Venture	8,716	9,181	8,407	9,189	10,207	19,396	17,925
	Yandi Joint Venture	10,026	9,370	9,461	10,194	10,885	21,079	18,987
	Total (BHP Billiton share)	27,134	26,619	25,271	27,360	29,683	57,043	54,207
	Total production (100%)	31,922	31,316	29,731	32,188	34,921	67,109	63,773
	Shipments
	Lump	7,598	8,163	7,989	7,839	8,141	15,980	16,770
	Fines	18,917	19,486	17,035	19,932	20,787	40,719	37,930
	Total (BHP Billiton share)	26,515	27,649	25,024	27,771	28,928	56,699	54,700
	Total sales (100%)	31,194	32,528	29,441	32,672	34,033	66,705	64,353
	(a) Iron ore production and shipments are reported on a wet tonnes basis.
	(b) Newman includes Mt Newman Joint Venture and Jimblebar.
Samarco, Brazil
	Production	2,221	1,569	1,777	2,746	2,766	5,512	4,972
	Shipments	1,808	1,428	1,788	3,076	2,933	6,009	4,644

PRODUCTION AND SHIPMENT REPORT
		QUARTER ENDED					HALF YEAR ENDED
		DEC	MAR	JUNE	SEPT	DEC	DEC	DEC
		2008	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2008
MANGANESE
BHP Billiton attributable production and sales unless otherwise stated.
('000 tonnes)
MANGANESE ORE
South Africa (a)
	Saleable production	755	351	156	428	664	1,092	1,684
	Sales	490	221	367	712	751	1,463	1,407
Australia (a)
	Saleable production	657	382	344	728	873	1,601	1,558
	Sales	323	442	530	838	985	1,823	1,195
MANGANESE ALLOY
South Africa (a) (b)
	Saleable production	112	51	5	30	76	106	245
	Sales	56	54	70	101	66	167	162
Australia (a)
	Saleable production	69	53	20	33	55	88	139
	Sales	57	36	32	60	68	128	113

(a) Shown on 100% basis. BHP Billiton interest in saleable production is 60%.

(b) Production includes Medium Carbon Ferro Manganese.

PRODUCTION AND SHIPMENT REPORT
		QUARTER ENDED					HALF YEAR ENDED
		DEC	MAR	JUNE	SEPT	DEC	DEC	DEC
		2008	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2008
METALLURGICAL COAL
BHP Billiton attributable production and sales unless otherwise stated.
('000 tonnes)
METALLURGICAL COAL (a)
Queensland, Australia
	Production
	BMA
	Blackwater	1,239	1,165	1,521	1,352	1,500	2,852	2,696
	Goonyella	1,915	1,346	1,725	1,507	1,548	3,055	3,614
	Peak Downs	1,103	1,105	1,268	1,187	817	2,004	2,017
	Saraji	1,027	651	723	779	726	1,505	2,131
	Norwich Park	605	427	513	392	575	967	1,044
	Gregory Joint Venture	892	471	628	605	443	1,048	1,663
	BMA total	6,781	5,165	6,378	5,822	5,609	11,431	13,165
	BHP Mitsui Coal (b)
	South Walker Creek	943	386	600	821	1,063	1,884	1,992
	Poitrel	828	163	882	776	766	1,542	1,412
	BHP Mitsui Coal total	1,771	549	1,482	1,597	1,829	3,426	3,404
	Queensland total	8,552	5,714	7,860	7,419	7,438	14,857	16,569
	Shipments
	Coking coal	5,590	4,703	5,087	5,725	5,935	11,660	11,513
	Weak coking coal	1,547	1,041	1,796	1,613	1,778	3,391	3,508
	Thermal coal	297	253	461	453	204	657	759
	Total	7,434	5,997	7,344	7,791	7,917	15,708	15,780
	(a) Metallurgical coal production is reported on the basis of saleable product. Production figures include some thermal coal.
	(b) Shown on 100% basis. BHP Billiton interest in saleable production is 80%.
Illawarra, Australia
	Production	1,598	1,882	1,600	1,985	1,455	3,440	2,791
	Shipments
	Coking coal	1,195	1,637	1,696	2,097	1,408	3,505	2,090
	Thermal coal	166	346	46	159	250	409	326
	Total	1,361	1,983	1,742	2,256	1,658	3,914	2,416

PRODUCTION AND SHIPMENT REPORT
		QUARTER ENDED					HALF YEAR ENDED
		DEC	MAR	JUNE	SEPT	DEC	DEC	DEC
		2008	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2008
ENERGY COAL
BHP Billiton attributable production and sales unless otherwise stated.
('000 tonnes)
South Africa
	Production	7,484	6,453	7,682	8,099	7,382	15,481	15,761
	Sales
	Export	2,945	1,672	1,700	2,377	2,849	5,226	5,274
	Local utility	5,243	4,725	5,446	5,378	4,687	10,065	10,624
	Inland	123	97	70	46	49	95	499
	Total	8,311	6,494	7,216	7,801	7,585	15,386	16,397
New Mexico, USA
	Production
	Navajo Coal	1,923	1,950	2,426	2,167	1,785	3,952	3,987
	San Juan Coal	1,094	957	1,781	1,995	1,193	3,188	3,035
	Total	3,017	2,907	4,207	4,162	2,978	7,140	7,022
	Sales - local utility	3,605	3,172	3,453	3,604	3,660	7,264	7,265
Hunter Valley, Australia
	Production	2,993	2,768	3,039	3,173	2,887	6,060	5,968
	Sales
	Export	2,242	2,360	1,958	1,766	2,959	4,725	4,091
	Inland	650	764	573	619	382	1,001	1,596
	Total	2,892	3,124	2,531	2,385	3,341	5,726	5,687
Cerrejon Coal, Colombia
	Production	2,435	2,618	2,734	2,625	2,213	4,838	5,242
	Sales - export	2,829	2,409	2,623	2,335	2,745	5,080	5,422

This information is provided by RNS

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