UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
December 10, 2009
BHP BILLITON PLC
(REG. NO. 3196209)
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
ENGLAND AND WALES
(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organisation)
NEATHOUSE PLACE, VICTORIA, LONDON,
UNITED KINGDOM
(Address of principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:
x Form 20-F ¨ Form 40-F
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934:
¨ Yes x No
If “Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): n/a
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| BHP Billiton Plc | ||||
| Date: December 10 2009 | By: | /S/ JANE MCALOON | ||
| Name: | Jane McAloon | |||
| Title: | Group Company Secretary | |||
Company Secretariat
| Issued by: | BHP Billiton Plc | |||||
| To: | London Stock Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange |
cc: | New York Stock Exchange Swiss Stock Exchange JSE Limited Deutsche Bank UBS Zurich | |||
| Date: | 2 December 2009 | |||||
| For Release: | Immediately | |||||
| Contact: | Elizabeth Hobley +44 20 7802 4054 |
|||||
Notification of Major Interest in Shares
The following notification was received yesterday, 1 December 2009, by BHP Billiton Plc from Legal & General Group Plc relating to major interests in shares of BHP Billiton Plc.
BHP Billiton Limited ABN 49 004 028 077
Registered in Australia
Registered Office: 180 Lonsdale Street Melbourne Victoria 3000
Telephone +61 1300 55 4757 Facsimile +61 3 9609 3015
BHP Billiton Plc Registration number 3196209
Registered in England and Wales
Registered Office: Neathouse Place, London SW1V 1BH United Kingdom
Telephone +44 20 7802 4000 Facsimile +44 20 7802 4111
The BHP Billiton Group is headquartered in Australia
Financial Services Authority
| TR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARES | ||||||
| 1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuer of existing shares to which voting rights are attached: | BHP Billiton Plc | |||||
| 2. Reason for the notification (please tick the appropriate box or boxes): | ||||||
| An acquisition or disposal of voting rights | Yes | |||||
| 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 the notification obligation: | Legal & General Group Plc (L&G) | |||||
| 4. Full name of shareholder(s) (if different from 3.): | Legal & General Assurance (Pensions Management) Limited (PMC) | |||||
| 5. Date of the transaction and date on which the threshold is crossed or reached:
|
30 November 2009 | |||||
| 6. Date on which issuer notified:
|
1 December 2009 | |||||
| 7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or reached:
|
From 4% - 3% (L&G) | |||||
| 8. Notified details: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A: Voting rights attached to shares | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class/type of shares if possible using the ISIN CODE |
Situation previous to the triggering transaction |
Resulting situation after the triggering transaction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of Shares |
Number of Voting Rights |
Number of shares |
Number of voting rights |
% of voting rights | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Direct | Indirect | Direct | Indirect | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ORD |
100,123,908 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USD 0.50 |
(As on 8/05/08) | 88,190,706 | 88,190,706 | 3.99 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| B: Qualifying Financial Instruments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Resulting situation after the triggering transaction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type of financial instrument |
Expiration date |
Exercise/ Conversion Period |
Number of voting rights that may be acquired if the instrument is exercised/converted. |
% of voting rights | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial Instruments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Resulting situation after the triggering transaction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type of financial instrument |
Exercise price |
Expiration date |
Exercise/ Conversion period |
Number of voting rights instrument refers to |
% of voting rights | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nominal | Delta | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total (A+B+C) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of voting rights |
Percentage of voting rights | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 88,190,706 | 3.99 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable: |
| Legal & General Group Plc (Direct and Indirect) (Group) | ||
| Legal & General Investment Management (Holdings) Limited (LGIMH) (Direct and Indirect) | ||
| Legal & General Investment Management Limited (Indirect) (LGIM) | ||
| Legal & General Group Plc (Direct) (L&G) (88,190,706 –3.99 % = LGAS, LGPL & PMC) | ||
| Legal & General Investment Management (Holdings) Limited (Direct) (LGIMHD) (79,211,858 –3.58 % = PMC) | Legal & General Insurance Holdings Limited (Direct) (LGIH) | |
| Legal & General Assurance (Pensions Management) Limited (PMC) (79,211,858 –3.58 % = PMC) | Legal & General Assurance Society Limited (LGAS & LGPL) | |
| Legal & General Pensions Limited (Direct) (LGPL) | ||
| Proxy Voting: | ||
| 10. Name of the proxy holder: | N/A | |
| 11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will cease to hold: | N/A | |
| 12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold voting rights: | N/A | |
| 13. Additional information: | Notification using the total voting rights figure of 2,207,007,544 | |
| 14. Contact name: | Helen Lewis (LGIM) | |
| 15. Contact telephone number: | 020 3124 3851 | |