Name and Location
Samarco fourth pellet plant, Espírito Santo, Brazil.

Client
Samarco Mineração, a joint venture between BHP Billiton (50%) and Vale (50%).

Project Description
Samarco Mineração extracts the ore from the eastern portion of the Iron Ore Quadrangle (Quadrilátero Ferrífero) deposit, in an area known as the Alegria complex, located in the municipalities of Mariana and Ouro Preto, in the state of Minas Gerais. These mineral resources amount to an estimated 3.3-billion tonnes of iron-ore.

The aim of the fourth pellet plant is to increase iron-ore pellet production capacity by 8.3-million tonnes to 30.5-million tonnes a year. The new pellet plant will be situated at the Ponta Ubú Maritime Terminal, in the state of Espírito Santo, in south-eastern Brazil, where Samarco already operates three other pellet plants, with a combined 22.25-million-tonne capacity.

This investment will also include the enlargement of the Ponta Ubú terminal and additional mining capacity, as well as a third concentrator at the Germano mine, in Minas Gerais, and the introduction of a third 401 km iron-ore slurry pipeline, linking the Germano mine to the Ponta Ubú facilities.

Value
$3.5-billion.

Duration
The start-up of the fourth pellet plant is scheduled for the first half of 2014, with the third pipeline due for completion by early 2014.

Latest Developments
The project is 90% complete.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Ausenco (detailed engineering for the third iron-ore slurry pipeline).

On Budget and on Time?
The project is on budget and on time.

Contact Details for Project Information
Ausenco CEO Zimi Meka, tel +61 7 3169 7000 or fax +61 7 3169 7001.
BHP Billiton, investor relations, James Agar, tel +61 3 9609 2222 or email James.Agar@bhpbilliton.com.
Xstrata Coal, James Rickards, tel +61 2 9253 6789 or email jrickards@xstratacoal.com.
Samarco Mineração press contact, Bruno Marques, tel +55 31 8315 0034 or email bruno.marques@samarco.com.
Vale, Roberto Castello Branco, tel +55 21 3814 4540 or email Roberto.castello.branco@vale.com.