Subsidiary Drilling Report

BHP Billiton Limited
20 August 2001

    BHP Billiton Limited is issuing this announcement to fulfil disclosure
 obligations arising from its secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange.

The text of this announcement is identical to that issued by BHP Billiton Plc
                                   earlier.

Date                    20 August 2001
Number                  11/01

             BHP Billiton Exploration Well Concluded In Trinidad

BHP Billiton today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, BHP Petroleum
(Trinidad) Ltd., has extended the hydrocarbon discoveries previously made in
the Block 2(c) Production Sharing Contract area, offshore Trinidad, with its
third exploration well. The Kairi-1 well has been abandoned after encountering
an encouraging hydrocarbon column.

The well began drilling on July 4, 2001, in Trinidad's offshore block 2(c),
nearly 35 kilometers from the northeastern tip of Trinidad's coastline, and
four kilometers from BHP Billiton's Aripo-1 gas discovery. Using the jack-up
rig Global Labrador 1, the well was drilled to a depth exceeding 2,200 metres
in waters approximately 35 metres deep.

The significance of the well will be assessed following further evaluation of
drilling and resource data. Further appraisal drilling will be required to
determine the size of the discovery. Additionally, further technical appraisal
requirements and development options for the area also are being evaluated.

This well has been drilled in an area where BHP Billiton has made earlier
hydrocarbon discoveries with the exploratory wells Angostura-1 and Aripo-1
that were drilled in 1999 and 2000, respectively. A further exploration well,
Spitfire-1, drilled in the adjacent Block 2(ab) was plugged and abandoned dry
during the second quarter of 2001. The Company is actively pursuing a strategy
for commercialisation of the resources in the area.

BHP Billiton is the designated operator and holds a 45 per cent working
interest in Block 2(c). Its partners are Elf Petroleum Trinidad B.V. with a 30
per cent interest and Talisman (Trinidad) Ltd. with a 25 per cent interest.

                                     ****

BHP Billiton is a world leading diversified resources Group and creates value
through the discovery, development and conversion of natural resources and the
provision of innovative customer and market-focused solutions. The Group is a
Dual Listed Company, comprised of BHP Billiton Limited and BHP Billiton Plc,
and is headquartered in Australia.

Further information about BHP Billiton can be found at: http://
www.bhpbilliton.com or contact:
Australia                          United Kingdom

Dr. Robert Porter, Investor        Marc Gonsalves, Investor Relations &
Relations                          Communications
Tel: + 61 3 9609 3540              Tel: [phone] Mobile: [phone]
Mobile: [phone]            950
email:                             email: [e-mail]
[e-mail]
Mandy Frostick, Media Relations    South Africa
Tel: [phone]               Michael Campbell, Investor & Media Relations
Mobile: [phone]            Tel: [phone] Mobile: [phone]
email:                             email: [e-mail]
[e-mail]
                                   United States
                                   Francis McAllister, Investor Relations
                                   Tel: [phone] Mobile: [phone]
                                   email: [e-mail]


BHP Billiton Limited ABN 49 004 028 077 BHP Billiton Plc Registration number
                                        3196209
Registered in Australia Registered
Number 3196209                          Registered in England and Wales

Registered Office: 600 Bourke Street    Registered Office: 1-3 Strand London
Melbourne Victoria 3000                 WC2N 5HA United Kingdom

Telephone [phone] Facsimile    Telephone [phone] Facsimile
(61 3) 9609 3015                        (44 20) 7747 3900

             The BHP Billiton Group is headquartered in Australia