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"BHP warns over sustainability of demand for raw materials BHP Billiton, the miner that sells 19 different commodities from...materials had returned.In its quarterly production report, BHP noted that China, the driver of the rally in metals prices...offset this, such a sequence of events should not be expected, BHP said.It added: "In spite of the low metals inventories in... Oct 22 2009, By William MacNamara in London and Peter Smith in Sydney, Financial Times"

Mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto should post record half-year profits as they reap the benefits of an industrial commodities boom, and are likely to use the results to bolster their arguments in a $123 billion (66 billion pound) takeover stand-off. Both are also likely to outline big expansions in key profit sectors such as copper and iron ore, where analysts predict higher prices next year on the back of strong demand for imported raw materials from China's industrial sector. Consenus figures based on forecasts by 20 analysts and provided by BHP point to a 12 percent rise in annual net profit to $15.4 billion, suggesting second-half profit will have risen 30 percent to $9.4 billion from $7.2 billion previously. Analysts polled by Reuters Estimates forecast Rio's January-June underlying profit will have risen 40 percent to $5.2 billion. BHP's financial year ends June 30, while Rio follows the calendar year.

SYDNEY, July 23 (Reuters) - BHP Billiton Ltd/Plc (ASX: BHP.ax) BLT.L, the world's biggest mining house, reported a raft of annual production gains on Wednesday led by strong fourth-quarter output of copper and iron ore, both of which are in high demand in China.

MELBOURNE -(Dow Jones)- BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) has boosted the size of the copper and uranium resource at its giant Olympic Dam mine in South Australia state, which is slated for a multibillion dollar expansion.

BHP Billiton will stick to its controversial plan to send uranium-infused copper concentrate to China for processing, if it moves ahead with expanding the showpiece Olympic Dam mine. In its draft environmental impact statement for the Olympic Dam expansion, released in Adelaide yesterday, BHP outlined its most detailed plans yet for the project, which will tap into the world's largest known uranium body and fourth-largest copper deposit.

MELBOURNE -(Dow Jones)- BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP.AU) said Tuesday it has boosted the total ore reserves at its Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine in South Australia state, although ore grades have fallen slightly.

BHP Billiton Limited, Australia's mining giant, recorded a 14.7% increase in profit for the 2008 fiscal year. The company's record US$15.39bn profit was slightly higher than expected, with most analysts predicting US$15.372bn. BHP said, "emerging economies continue to drive demand for commodities, [and] a slowdown in developed countries will have minimal impact." BHP achieved record annual production across seven commodities including copper. Underlying EBIT for the company's base metals unit increased by 16.2% y-o-y to US$7,989m. "Higher average prices for copper, lead, silver, molybdenum and gold increased underlying EBIT, partially offset by lower average zinc prices," said the company, adding that, "in the short term, we expect prices to remain high relative to historic levels, albeit with higher volatility." The final dividend for the year ended 30 June 2008 was US41c per share, bringing total dividend for the year, together with the US29c per share interim dividend in March, up to US70c per share, a 49% increase on FY2007.

The estimated 2008 production is still 0.6% higher from what Chile produced last year and the slight increase is due to Codelco's Gabriela Mistral mine coming on line, the ramp up to capacity at BHP Billiton Ltd.'s (BHP) Spence mine and increased output at Xstrata plc's (XTA.LN) and Anglo American plc's (AAUK) Collahuasi mine, the official said.

SYDNEY -(Dow Jones)- BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP.AU) said Tuesday it expects stainless steel demand to be robust over the long-term, underpinned by China's ongoing urbanization and industrialization, the miner said in a presentation to analysts on a site tour at its nickel operations in Western Australia.

"BHP, Rio and Glencore have each denied they are engaged in aggressive tax avoidance strategies. Rio and BHP told the committee they had set up marketing hubs in Singapore not to pay less tax but to be closer to customers."

BHP Billiton is on course to report its sixth consecutive year of profits growth after the Anglo-Australian mining group on Wednesday published annual production figures that showed bumper results from its petroleum, iron ore, manganese and copper operations.

LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Australia's Minara Resources Ltd (MRE.AX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Thursday it had to defer its Australian $300 million ($273.5 million) nickel expansion plan due to high costs and reported an 80 percent drop in profits for the first half year. Minara, Australia's second-largest nickel miner after BHP Billiton Ltd/Plc (BHP.AX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)(BLT.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), posted a net profit after tax for the half year to 30 June 2008 of $50.9 Australian million, down from $245.9 Australian million in the same period in 2007.

BHP Billiton is disappointed by today's High Court decision on the definition of 'production process'

Russia"s metals giant Norilsk Nickel and the world"s largest mining company BHP Billiton have formed a joint venture to explore for minerals in Russia.

SANTIAGO, Chile - BHP Billiton is seeking approval to build a $3.5 billion US water desalinization plant to service its Escondida copper mine in northern Chile, one of the world's top sources of the metal, a company spokesman said Saturday.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - European antitrust regulators said Monday they had restarted a probe into miner BHP Billiton's hostile bid for rival Rio Tinto Inc., setting a new deadline to rule on it by Jan. 15.

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Mining giant BHP Billiton announced plans Wednesday to slash 6,000 jobs, or about 6 percent of its global work force, as it rushes to cope with plummeting demand because of the global financial crisis.

BHP Billiton, the Australian mining company, on Thursday said US antitrust authorities had largely cleared its proposed $170bn acquisition of rival Rio Tinto.