By Stephen Bell
PERTH, Australia-- BHP Billiton Ltd., the world's third-biggest
iron-ore producer by volume, is continuing efforts to sell its West
African iron-ore exploration assets, a company executive said
Tuesday.
"We've run a process there and we're continuing to run a
process," said Jimmy Wilson, president of BHP's iron-ore
division.
"So we want to move out of our West African position," he told
an iron-ore conference in Perth.
BHP is a dominant iron-ore exporter in Australia, second behind
competitor Rio Tinto PLC, but has previously identified its African
projects as noncore as the miner focuses on cost-cutting and less
expensive mine developments.
Despite the current iron-ore price slump, Mr. Wilson said he
remains confident in the outlook for iron-ore demand, underpinned
by the expected growth in China's steel output in the next
decade.
Write to Stephen Bell at djnews@dowjones.com
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