Notification of Major Interest in Shares

Issued by:

BHP Billiton Plc

Date:

25 January 2017

To:

London Stock Exchange

Australian Securities Exchange

To:

JSE Limited

New York Stock Exchange

For Release:

Immediately

Contact:

Geof Stapledon +44 (0) 20 7802 4176

BHP Billiton Plc - Notification of Major Interest in Shares

1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuerof existing shares to which voting rights areattached: ii

BHP BILLITON PLC

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):

3. Full name of person(s) subject to thenotification obligation: iii

PUBLIC INVESTMENT CORPORATION SOC LIMITED

4. Full name of shareholder(s) (if different from 3.):iv

N/A

5. Date of the transaction and date onwhich the threshold is crossed orreached: v

23 January 2017

6. Date on which issuer notified:

24 January 2017

7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed orreached: vi, vii

3%

8. Notified details:

A: Voting rights attached to shares viii, ix

Class/type ofshares

if possible usingthe ISIN CODE

Situation previousto the triggeringtransaction

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

NumberofShares

NumberofVotingRights

Numberof shares

Number of votingrights

% of voting rights x

Direct

Direct xi

Indirect xii

Direct

Indirect

BIL

57268229

66684446

3.157%

B: Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financialinstrument

Expirationdate xiii

Exercise/Conversion Period xiv

Number of votingrights that may beacquired if theinstrument isexercised/ converted.

% of votingrights

NONE

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial Instruments xv, xvi

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financialinstrument

Exercise price

Expiration date xvii

Exercise/Conversion period xviii

Number of voting rights instrument refers to

% of voting rights xix, xx

Nominal

Delta

Total (A+B+C)

Number of voting rights

Percentage of voting rights

66684446

3.157%

9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or thefinancial instruments are effectively held, if applicable: xxi

N/A

Proxy Voting:

10. Name of the proxy holder:

N/A

11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will ceaseto hold:

N/A

12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to holdvoting rights:

N/A

13. Additional information:

N/A

14. Contact name:

DEVILLIERS MAKONKO

15. Contact telephone number:

012 742 3578