BHP Group Limited — Capital/Financing Update 2009

Apr 8, 2009

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9 April 2009

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Company Announcements Office Australian Securities Exchange Limited Level 4 20 Bridge Street SYDNEY NSW 2000

RE: Rail contract awarded to Leighton Contractors – Macmahon joint venture

Please find attached a copy of a media release to be issued today by Leighton Contractors Pty Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leighton Holdings Limited.

Yours faithfully,

A. J. MOIR

Company Secretary

9 April 2009

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Rail contract awarded to Leighton Contractors - Macmahon joint venture

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Leighton Contractors in a joint venture with Macmahon Contractors has been awarded a contract valued at more than $500 million to develop BHP Billiton Iron Ore’s Rapid Growth Project 5 rail project (RGP5) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

As part of the contract, BHP Billiton Iron Ore will supply an additional $150 million of materials to the project which the joint venture will handle as part of the works.

The 50/50 joint venture will duplicate 220 km of the existing heavy haul rail line between Port Hedland and Shaw Siding along the existing BHP Billiton Iron Ore Newman/Yandi line, providing BHP Billiton Iron Ore with a mechanism to meet anticipated increasing overseas demand for iron ore.

The project scope also includes the installation of 840 kilometres of fibre optic cable and the construction of 10 new dual track bridges, over 1,000 camp rooms (complete with kitchens, laundries, gymnasiums and a pool) and up to three fly camps.

The joint venture is expected to employ more than 1,100 workers over the life of the project and will encourage a high level of indigenous participation.

The project will be delivered by Leighton Contractors Western Region Construction and supported by the Leighton Contractors National Rail Group, Ngarda Civil & Mining and Visionstream (all subsidiaries of Leighton Contractors) together with MVM Rail, a subsidiary of Macmahon.

Peter McMorrow, Managing Director of Leighton Contractors, said the contract further enhanced the company’s strong relationship with BHP Billiton Iron Ore.

“Leighton Contractors has extensive experience at BHP Billiton Iron Ore operations in the Pilbara and, in partnership with Macmahon, is very well positioned to deliver this significant project,” Mr McMorrow said.

“We look forward to bringing the multi-disciplinary expertise of our Construction, National Rail Group and Telecommunications divisions to the joint venture to deliver the best possible outcome for BHP Billiton Iron Ore,” he said.

Mr McMorrow said the National Rail Group harnessed the wealth of rail experience across the Leighton Contractors, integrating the strength of local construction teams with rail specialists who operate across Australia and New Zealand.

Ray Sputore, General Manager of Leighton Contractors Western Region Construction, said the win was significant for the company.

“The RGP5 project win is a great result for our team and provides a strong foundation on which to continue to grow our business in Western Australia,” Mr Sputore said.

ENDS

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For further information please contact:

Christian Sealey, Manager, Media and External Affairs

T: +612 8668 6161 M: 0448 061 672

About Leighton Contractors

Leighton Contractors is one of Australia’s leading construction, mining, infrastructure, industrial engineering, facilities management, services and telecommunications groups with over $8.3 billion work in hand, employing more than 9,000 people across Australia and New Zealand.

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