Capital management program

Completed capital management initiatives

​Description ​Date commenced ​Date         completed ​Shares repurchased ​Cost (local currency) ​Cost (US$ million)
​August 2004 program ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​Off-market buy-back of BHP Billiton Limited shares ​ ​23 November 2004 ​180,716,428 ​A$2,272m ​US$1,780m
​February 2006 program ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​Off-market buy-back of BHP Billiton Limited shares ​ ​03 April 2006 ​​95,950,979 A$2,250m ​US$1,600m
​On-market buy-back of BHP Billiton Plc shares ​27 April 2006 ​16 May 2006 ​18,820,000 ​£217m ​US$409m
​Total under February 2006 program ​ ​ ​114,770,979 ​ ​US$2,009m
​February 2011 expanded program ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​On-market buy-back of BHP Billiton Plc shares1 ​07 September 2006 ​14 December 2007 ​243,625,800 ​£3,012m ​US$6,002m
​Off-market buy-back of BHP Billiton Limited shares1 ​ ​26 March 2007 ​141,098,555 ​A$3,501m ​US$2,817m
​Off-market buy-back of BHP Billiton Limited shares2 ​ ​11 April 2011 ​146,899,809 ​A$6,000m ​US$6,340m
​On-market buy-back of BHP Billiton Plc shares2 16 November 2010​ ​29 June 2011 ​94,935,748 ​​£2,275m ​US$3,677m
​Total under February 2011 expanded program ​ ​ ​626,559,912 ​ ​US$18,836m

1On 23 August 2006, BHP Billiton announced its intention to return US$3 billion to shareholders over the next 18 months through a series of share buy-backs.

On 7 February 2007, a US$10 billion extension to this program was announced. At that date, 93,435,000 shares in BHP Billiton Plc had been repurchased under the August 2006 program at a cost of US$1.7 billion, leaving US$1.3 billion to be carried forward and added to the February 2007 program.

On-market purchases of BHP Billiton Plc shares continued until 14 December 2007, when the program was suspended until further notice.

2On 15 November 2010, BHP Billiton announced its intention to continue the company's strong track record of returning excess capital to shareholders by reactivating the remaining US$4.2 billion component of its previously suspended US$13 billion buy-back program.

On 16 February 2011, BHP Billiton announced an expanded total US$10 billion capital management program (which includes the US$4.2 billion reactivated on 15 November 2010) which was completed on 29 June 2011.