Dow Corning purchased 100 percent of Globe Metais Indústria e Comércio S.A., a silicon metal manufacturer in Pará, Brazil, which will immediately begin operating as Dow Corning Metais do Pará Ltda.

Dow Corning has also acquired a 49 percent interest in Globe Metallurgical Inc.'s silicon manufacturing operation in Alloy, West Virginia (U.S.A.), WVA Manufacturing LLC. The operation will continue to operate as WVA Manufacturing LLC.

Dow Corning, a global leader in silicone-based materials, relies on chemical grade silicon as an essential raw material to manufacture nearly all of its more than 7,000 products.

'These acquisitions offer Dow Corning an even more efficient and stable supply of silicon metal,' said Robert Hansen, Dow Corning's executive vice president and general manager of Core Products. 'This is yet another step to position ourselves to better serve our customers' needs.'

Silicones are important building blocks for products in the construction, personal care, life sciences, energy, automotive and electronics industries, among others.

About Dow Corning

Dow Corning (www.dowcorning.com) provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning offers more than 7,000 products and services via the company's Dow Corning® and XIAMETER® brands. Dow Corning is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning's annual sales are outside the United States.

— WebWireID107196 —

China owns the world's third largest coal reserves, and naturally looks into ways of valuing them in order to reduce its growing dependency on foreign energy sources and feedstock.
Several technologies based on coal gasification allow the transformation of coal into liquid petroleum or chemical products. These gasification processes require huge quantities of oxygen.

In this context, Air Liquide announces it has signed a long-term contract with Yutianhua, Shaanxi Yulin Natural Gas Chemical Industry. Under the terms of the agreement, Air Liquide will invest about €60 million in a new large Air Separation Unit (ASU) - with a production capacity of 2,700 tonnes of oxygen per day - to supply oxygen and nitrogen to Yutianhua. The ASU, designed and built by Air Liquide Hangzhou, the Air Liquide engineering center in China, will use Air Liquide's latest technologies providing both high reliability and energy efficiency.

Yutianhua, a natural gas based methanol player in China, has a current production capacity of 510 thousand tonnes per year. In 2008, Yutianhua launched an additional 600 thousand tonnes per year methanol coal-based project with a total investment of 3 billion RMB. This is the first phase of a major methanol project. Its unit is located in Yuheng Chemical Industrial Park of Yulin City, Shaanxi Province. Air Liquide's new ASU will be located next to the Yutianhua site.

Jean-Pierre Duprieu, Vice President Asia-Pacific and a member of the Air Liquide's Executive Committee, said: 'We want to thank Yutianhua for its trust in us, as well as the Yulin authorities for their continuous support. This success illustrates Air Liquide's ability to develop leading edge technologies and high value-added solutions for this industry as well as the Group's commitment in China. This investment offers further illustration of the acceleration of our development in emerging economies, with a share of Group revenue that will have doubled over 6 years'.

Mr. Han Delin, Chairman of Yutianhua, added: 'Yutianhua's methanol project is one of the key projects in Shaanxi, and is strongly supported by the local and provincial governments. After fruitful discussions, we have decided to entrust Air Liquide with our industrial gas needs. Air Liquide has demonstrated that it understands our needs and is competitive. We are happy to outsource our industrial gas needs and to enter into a long-term partnership with Air Liquide that enables us to benefit from its worldwide expertise.'

— WebWireID107173 —

The award-winning paper highlights the importance of careful monitoring and control of thermal and atmospheric profiles within continuous coating line furnaces that are used in certain steel finishing processes. Hot-dip galvanizing and aluminizing processes require heating steel in a highly-controlled, hydrogen-containing atmosphere to prepare the steel for good adherence of coatings, such as zinc and aluminum. The coatings are applied for corrosion resistance in a variety of applications, primarily for automotive bodies, appliance and construction uses.

'AK Steel is proud to receive this important recognition,' said James L. Wainscott, chairman, president and CEO of AK Steel. 'The award is a testament to our talented and innovative research organization, as well as to AK Steel's long-standing commitment to excellence in steel research.'

AK Steel research center associates Dr. Joyce Niedringhaus, Dr. Rob Comstock and Dr. Luis Garza authored the paper. Also contributing were AK Steel researchers Jeff Alder, Dr. Jerry Arnold, Sandi Gillum, Jeremy Hansman, Dr. Glenn Huppi, Bob Kelly and Dr. Farrell Kilbane. Dr. Niedringhaus presented the paper on behalf of AK Steel at a previous association meeting.

Founded in 1936, the Galvanizers Association is a worldwide organization with nearly 150 member companies. Members are producers of continuous galvanized iron, steel sheet and pipe products, along with their suppliers.

— WebWireID107125 —

The signing follows BP's successful bid for the contract with CNPC in Baghdad in June.

The consortium led by BP (38 per cent) with partners CNPC (37 per cent) and the Iraq government's representative State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO - 25 per cent), has agreed to nearly triple the Rumaila field's output to almost 3 million barrels of oil a day (b/d), which would make it the world's second largest producing oilfield.

BP and CNPC plan to invest approximately $15 billion in cash over the 20 year lifetime of the contract with the intention of increasing plateau production to 2.85 million b/d in the second half of the next decade. Once production has been raised by 10 per cent from its current level of about 1 million b/d, costs will start to be recovered, and fees of $2 a barrel earned on the incremental oil production.

"We are pleased to have this opportunity to work with the people of Iraq to develop one of the world's great oilfields and we see this as the beginning of a long-term relationship with Iraq," said BP's chief executive Tony Hayward.

"We are also pleased to have the opportunity to help Iraq rebuild its economy after years of war and sanctions. The investment in Rumaila will support Iraq in achieving its ambition of becoming a major player in global oil markets once again and will catalyze training and development opportunities for the many thousands of Iraqi workers on Rumaila," Hayward added.

The Rumaila Field Operating Organisation (ROO) will manage the rehabilitation and expansion project. ROO will be staffed mainly by employees from South Oil Company and will contain a small number of technical experts and managers from BP and CNPC.

BP has already gained information about the Rumaila field through a three year memorandum of understanding to provide technical assistance from 2005 and historically has knowledge of the field's geology dating back to discovery in 1953.

BP and its partners intend to use their reservoir management expertise to boost recovery and increase production from the Rumaila field, focussing initially on waterflood and gas reinjection optimization.

— WebWireID106935 —

Munich - The technology group The Linde Group continued the positive trend of the second quarter in a market environment which remained difficult, achieving further increases in profitability in the months July to September in comparison with the previous quarter. In the third quarter, Group operating profit rose by 12.5 percent compared to the second quarter, while the operating margin increased significantly to 22.5 percent (2nd quarter: 20.4 percent). The operating margin also continued to improve if a comparison is made between the first nine months of 2009 and the same period in 2008. The Group operating margin for the period to 30 September 2009 was 20.9 percent (2008: 20.3 percent). Adjusted for one-off restructuring costs of 80 million euro, the operating margin was 21.9 percent.

"The positive trends we were seeing at the end of the second quarter have continued to strengthen," said Professor Dr Wolfgang Reitzle, Chief Executive Officer of Linde AG. "The measures we have taken to achieve sustainable increases in productivity are having an ever greater impact. What's more, demand in our gases business is beginning to pick up again slowly. However, one thing's clear: in the 2009 financial year, we will not be able to match the level of sales and earnings achieved in the record year 2008. Nevertheless, based on our current figures, we expect our business performance in the second half of 2009 to be better than in the first half of the year."

Against the background of the global economic crisis, Group sales fell by 11.5 percent in the first nine months of 2009 to 8.313 billion euro, compared with the record figure achieved in the first three quarters of 2008 of 9.392 billion euro. Group operating profit* for the nine months to 30 September 2009 was 1.741 billion euro, 8.8 percent below the prior-year figure of 1.910 billion euro. After adjusting for restructuring costs arising from the High Performance Organisation (HPO) programme, the fall in Group operating profit for Linde was only 4.7 percent. On the basis of HPO, the integrated programme for process optimisation and increased productivity, the aim of the Group is to achieve gross cost savings of between 650 million euro and 800 million euro in the financial years from 2009 to 2012 and to continue to improve its competitiveness irrespective of the economic situation.

Earnings before taxes on income (EBT) were 611 million euro, a decrease of 185 million euro or 23.2 percent when compared with the prior-year figure of 796 million euro. After adjusting for restructuring costs of 80 million euro and the gains on disposal of businesses of 59 million euro achieved in the first nine months of 2008, the decline was only 46 million euro or 6.2 percent.

Group earnings after tax at 30 September 2009 were 456 million euro (2008: 593 million euro). After taking minority interests into account, earnings attributable to Linde AG shareholders were 417 million euro (2008: 552 million euro), giving earnings per share of 2.47 euro (2008: 3.29 euro). After adjusting for the effect of the purchase price allocation in the course of the BOC acquisition and the profits on disposal earnings per share in the first nine months of 2009 stood at 3.38 euro (2008: 4.14 euro). The restructuring costs recognised in the first nine months of 2009 have not been adjusted for in this calculation. Cash flow from operating activities increased by 9.5 percent to 1.424 billion euro (2008: 1.301 billion euro). This significant rise was due to the optimisation of the cost structure as well as to improvements in working capital management.

Gases Division
In the Gases Division, the recovery trend indicated in the second quarter of 2009 continued into the third quarter. Sales and operating profit again rose when compared to the period April to June. Operating profit for the third quarter was 625 million euro, exactly the same as the figure for the prior-year period. However, when the figures for the whole reporting period January to September are compared, there was a downward trend. Sales in the Gases Division for the nine months to 30 September 2009 were 6.629 billion euro, 7.4 percent lower than the figure for the prior-year period of 7.157 billion euro. On a comparable basis, i.e. after adjusting for exchange rate effects and also taking into account changes in the price of natural gas and changes to Group structure, the fall in sales was 6.4 percent.

The operating profit of the Gases Division for the first nine months of 2009 was 1.763 billion euro, only 3.1 percent under the comparable prior-year figure of 1.819 billion euro. This demonstrates that the Gases Division has been able to limit the decline in earnings in a difficult market environment and achieve an improvement in the operating margin from 25.4 percent in 2008 to the current figure of thereby 26.6 percent.

The trends in the individual regions and product areas of the Gases Division were as follows: In the Western Europe operating segment, sales trends in the third quarter continued to be adversely affected, as in the first half of 2009, by the substantial weakening of the British pound. As a result of this currency fluctuation, sales for the nine months to 30 September 2009 fell by 10.5 percent to 2.801 billion euro (2008: 3.131 billion euro). On a comparable basis, the decline in sales would have been a mere 5.4 percent. Operating profit was also adversely affected by exchange rate movements, falling by 8.4 percent to 782 million euro (2008: 854 million euro). The operating margin in Western Europe was 27.9 percent, exceeding the high figure of 27.3 percent achieved in the prior-year period. This improvement demonstrates the positive impact of the HPO programme.

The market environment in Western Europe saw a further period of stabilisation, although there were no signs as yet of a widespread market recovery.

In the Americas operating segment, Linde achieved sales in the nine months to 30 September 2009 of 1.485 billion euro, 10.1 percent below the figure for the first nine months of 2008 of 1.652 billion euro. On a comparable basis, sales were 8.3 percent lower than in the prior-year period. Operating profit fell from 320 million euro to 316 million euro, a much smaller drop of only 1.3 percent. The operating margin improved significantly as a result, by 190 basis points to 21.3 percent (2008: 19.4 percent). This increase was mainly due to the impact of natural gas prices. Steps taken to optimise the Group's cost structure did here as well contribute to this positive development.

In the Asia & Eastern Europe operating segment, sales in the nine months to 30 September 2009 were 1.343 billion euro, 8.0 percent below the figure for the prior-year period of 1.459 billion euro. On a comparable basis, the fall in sales was 6.4 percent. Operating profit, on the other hand, of 415 million euro was almost as high as the figure for the nine months to 30 September 2008 of 417 million euro. As a result, the operating margin rose significantly in the reporting period from 28.6 percent to 30.9 percent. The accelerated implementation of our HPO programme again contributed to this positive trend. Additional contributions to earnings also arose from Linde's joint venture activities in China.

Just as in the second quarter, very clear signs of an economic recovery continued to be evident as the year progressed in the Asia & Eastern Europe operating segment. This trend could be seen, for example, in the improved capacity utilisation of our tonnage plants.

In the South Pacific & Africa operating segment, Linde also achieved an increase in sales in the first nine months of the year: of 8.6 percent to 1.052 billion euro (2008: 969 million euro). The consolidation for the first time of the Australian LPG business Elgas more than offset adverse movements in the exchange rate of the Australian dollar. On a comparable basis, sales in the first nine months declined by 6.1 percent. Operating profit increased by 9.6 percent to 250 million euro (2008: 228 million euro), a faster rate of increase than that of sales. The operating margin rose accordingly from 23.5 percent to 23.8 percent.

In the individual product areas of the Gases Division, business trends were also affected by global economic conditions, which remained challenging. In comparison with the first half of the year, however, the trend here was positive in the third quarter. On a comparable basis, Linde's sales in the liquefied gases business fell by 8.7 percent to 1.636 billion euro (2008: 1.791 billion euro). In the cylinder gas business, there was a decline in sales of 9.1 percent to 2.713 billion euro (2008: 2.984 billion euro). Sales of 1.513 billion euro in the on-site (tonnage) business, where we supply industrial gases from plants situated on the user's site, were 4.2 percent below the figure for the prior-year period of 1.579 billion euro. Meanwhile, the Healthcare product area once again proved very robust. Here, sales rose by 5.6 percent to 767 million euro (2008: 726 million euro).

Gases Division - Outlook
The continuing uncertainty in the market environment has not caused us to change in any way our original target for the gases business. Linde wants to grow at a more rapid pace than the market and to continue to increase its productivity. Given the current tendency towards economic recovery and based on positive trends in the third quarter, The Linde Group expects business performance in the Gases Division to be better in the second half of 2009 than in the first six months of the year. This will, however, not suffice to ensure that sales and earnings for the full year 2009 will reach the levels achieved in 2008.

Engineering Division
In the Engineering Division, Linde achieved sales of 1.677 billion euro in the first nine months of 2009, although it was unable to achieve the very high level of sales achieved in the prior-year period of 2.063 billion euro. This decline is mainly due to the variation in project structure and the state of completion of projects in the two different periods. Operating profit of 145 million euro was also below the comparable figure for the nine months to 30 September 2008 of 183 million euro. The operating margin was 8.6 percent. This significantly exceeded Linde's target margin of 8 percent, which is well above the industry average. Due to a marked reluctance by customers to award new projects, order intake in the first nine months of 2009 of 1.514 billion euro was, as expected, lower than the figure for the prior-year period of 2.295 billion euro.

The order backlog at 30 September 2009 was 3.911 billion euro, which is still a very high level (31 December 2008: 4.436 billion euro). Most of the current order backlog relates to the air separation plant and olefin plant product areas. As in the first six months of the year, the geographical focus remains the Middle East. Major projects in this region include, for example, the new ethylene plant in Ruwais commissioned by the Borouge consortium, the Enhanced Gas Recovery plant which is operated together with Linde's joint venture partner ADNOC, and the Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) plant which Linde is supplying for Shell in Qatar.

Engineering Division - Outlook
The continuing high level of our order backlog forms a basis for relatively stable business performance in the Engineering Division over the next one to two years. However, the impact of the economic crisis on global large-scale plant construction can be seen from the much lower level of order intake and the current reluctance of customers to award new projects. Against this background and given the variation in project structure and the state of completion of projects from year to year, Linde continues to assume that it will not be able to achieve the same high level of sales in the 2009 financial year as in 2008. Nevertheless, the target for our operating margin remains at 8 percent.

N.B.: To coincide with the publication of our quarterly report, a teleconference for analysts will take place today at 2pm (German time) in English with Georg Denoke, CFO of Linde AG. Journalists will have the opportunity to listen to the conference live by dialling +49.69.589.99-0509. Please tell the operator your name and the name of your company. Following the teleconference, you will be able to hear a recording of the event by calling +49.30.726.167-224. Please give the following reference number: 847120.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 50,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. It achieved sales in the 2008 financial year of 12.7 billion euro. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment - in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the world. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, please see The Linde Group online at http://www.linde.com

— WebWireID106863 —

The new unit* will have an electrical output of over 900 MW and will supply 25% of the Rhein-Neckar region's electricity, the equivalent of approximately 600,000 households. It will replace the existing units 3 and 4 (with an output of only 220 MW each), which will be taken out of service after the commissioning of the new unit in 2013.

Grosskraftwerk Mannheim is a coal-fired cogeneration plant with an installed base of 1675 MW which produces up to 1000 MW of heat as well as electricity, and has been supplying both heat and power to the region for over 85 years. District heating applications such as these help save 200,000 TCE (ton of coal equivalent) primary energy and 300,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The new unit will help increase this figure.

The combined heat and power production significantly contributes to reduce emissions. The new unit will use less coal, reducing the power plant's overall CO2 emissions by about 1 million tonnes per year and conforming to the objectives of the German government, with a strong focus on reducing the country's greenhouse gas emissions.

'Innovative technology such as that installed at Mannheim 9 is essential for reducing CO2 emissions in our customers' coal-fired plants, commented Guy Chardon, Senior Vice President Thermal Products, Alstom Power, and we look forward to further supporting the implementation of cleaner power generation on the German market'.

*The scope of the Mannheim 9 project includes a STF 100 5 casing steam turbine, a Gigatop 2-pole turbogenerator and a condenser, and has been completed by a Tower Type Boiler island with SCR and preheater, including coal bunkers, mills, and auxiliary systems. Alstom will also carry out transportation to the site, full erection, commissioning, trial -run and performance tests both for the steam turbine generator set and the boiler island.

— WebWireID106862 —

Gas-to-liquid technology, which consists of converting natural gas into liquid fuels, is an attractive option for making the most of abundant gas reserves. This technology produces a fuel that has the high energy efficiency of diesel while producing less pollution.

Oryx GTL is a SASOL / Qatar Petroleum joint venture that produces clean diesel, naphtha and LPG. Its first commercial gas-to-liquids (GTL) unit located in Ras Laffan, Qatar, is the largest GTL unit in service in the world. GTL production capacity is rapidly increasing in Qatar thanks to the North Field, the world's biggest reserve of natural gas.

Oryx GTL and GASAL Q.S.C., Air Liquide's subsidiary in Qatar, have signed a long-term oxygen supply agreement after Oryx GTL decided to increase its production capacity. GASAL will invest US$70 million (more than €47 million) in a new oxygen and nitrogen production unit with a capacity of 750 tonnes of oxygen per day.

The new unit, designed and built by Air Liquide Engineering, will be commissioned at the end of 2010. It will further reinforce GASAL's industrial gas production asset base in Ras Laffan Industrial City. GASAL will then have two production sites in this key industrial basin, thanks to the successful start-up earlier this year of a nitrogen unit for Ras Laffan Olefin Company.

Besides, the new GASAL unit will be the base for gaseous nitrogen supply to GASAL's nitrogen pipeline network currently under construction in Ras Laffan. The total production capacity of nitrogen available in the network will be more than 1,500 tonnes per day. This ASU will also produce liquid gases which will serve as a reliable source for other customers in Qatar and in neighboring countries.

Pierre Dufour, Senior Executive Vice-President of the Air Liquide Group, responsible for the Middle East Region, commented: 'With this new, large scale project in Qatar, Air Liquide is proud to be the selected outsourcing partner of Oryx GTL through its subsidiary GASAL. We will be able to support the growing needs of our long-term customer Sasol and of our partner Qatar Petroleum. It is a further illustration of Air Liquide's commitment to the development of emerging economies, one of the Group's growth drivers.'

— WebWireID106856 —

SAN RAMON, Calif. - Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) today reported earnings of $3.83 billion ($1.92 per share - diluted) for the third quarter 2009, compared with $7.89 billion ($3.85 per share - diluted) in the 2008 third quarter. Earnings in the 2009 period included gains of approximately $400 million ($0.20 per share) from asset sales and tax items. Foreign-currency effects reduced earnings in the 2009 quarter by $170 million, compared with a benefit to income of $303 million a year earlier.

For the first nine months of 2009, earnings were $7.41 billion ($3.71 per share - diluted), down 61 percent from $19.04 billion ($9.23 per share - diluted) in the first nine months of 2008.

Read the Entire Press Release (111 KB): http://www.chevron.com/documents/pdf/earnings_30october2009.pdf

NOTICE

Chevron's discussion of third quarter 2009 earnings with security analysts will take place on Friday, October 30, 2009, at 8:00 a.m. PDT. A webcast of the meeting will be available in a listen-only mode to individual investors, media, and other interested parties on Chevron's Web site at www.chevron.com under the "Investors" section. Additional financial and operating information will be contained in the Earnings Supplement that will be available under "Events and Presentations" in the "Investors" section on the Web site.

Chevron will post selected fourth quarter 2009 interim performance data for the company and industry on its Web site on Monday, January 11, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. PST. Interested parties may view this interim data at www.chevron.com under the "Investors" section.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT RELEVANT TO FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF "SAFE HARBOR" PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to Chevron's operations that are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections about the petroleum, chemicals, and other energy-related industries. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects," "believes," "seeks," "schedules," "estimates," "budgets" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the company's control and are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. The reader should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Unless legally required, Chevron undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are crude-oil and natural-gas prices; refining, marketing and chemicals margins; actions of competitors or regulators; timing of exploration expenses; timing of crude-oil liftings, the competitiveness of alternate-energy sources or product substitutes; technological developments; the results of operations and financial condition of equity affiliates; the inability or failure of the company's joint-venture partners to fund their share of operations and development activities; the potential failure to achieve expected net production from existing and future crude-oil and natural-gas development projects; potential delays in the development, construction or start-up of planned projects; the potential disruption or interruption of the company's net production or manufacturing facilities or delivery/transportation networks due to war, accidents, political events, civil unrest, severe weather or crude-oil production quotas that might be imposed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC); the potential liability for remedial actions or assessments under existing or future environmental regulations and litigation; significant investment or product changes under existing or future environmental statutes, regulations and litigation; the potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation; the company's acquisition or disposition of assets; gains and losses from asset dispositions or impairments; government-mandated sales, divestitures, recapitalizations, industry-specific taxes, changes in fiscal terms or restrictions on scope of company operations; foreign-currency movements compared with the U.S. dollar; the effects of changed accounting rules under generally accepted accounting principles promulgated by rule-setting bodies; and the factors set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" on pages 30 and 31 of the company's 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition, such statements could be affected by general domestic and international economic and political conditions. Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed in this press release could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements.

— WebWireID106789 —

Savonette is located in 290 feet (88 metres) of water approximately 50 miles off Trinidad's south east coast. BPTT holds a 100 per cent interest in the field.

Production from the platform is tied into bpTT's Mahogany B platform, via a 26-inch diameter 5.3 mile subsea pipeline, where the gas is processed and then exported into bpTT's existing infrastructure. Gas from Savonette will supply Atlantic LNG's liquefaction plant for export as LNG to international markets, as well as the domestic market.
With Savonette, bpTT now has production from 12 offshore platforms.

Production from Savonette is expected to average 600 million standard cubic feet per day of gas, plus associated condensate, from four wells. Savonette production will contribute to maintaining bpTT's total production level at more than 450,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day.

The Savonette platform, installed in February 2009, is the fourth in a series of normally unmanned installations designed and constructed locally in Trinidad using a standardized 'clone' concept. The 1,898 tonne jacket and the 871 tonne topsides were built at the Trinidad Offshore Fabricators (TOFCO) yard in La Brea, south Trinidad.
BPTT's Chairman and CEO Robert Riley said: "Since completing the Cannonball platform in 2005, in just four years bpTT has designed and constructed three further platforms right here in Trinidad and commenced production from each - Mango, Cashima and now Savonette. I am very proud of bpTT's sustained track record in managing projects of this magnitude and with such tight timelines - designing, constructing and producing from four platforms in four years is a great achievement."
The Savonette platform has high Trinidadian local content with some 30 per cent of its total engineering, procurement and construction value being spent in country and with T&T nationals being responsible for 55 per cent of the project management hours and 98 per cent of total fabrication hours.

Savonette Project Manager Liz Mulliss noted: "The project has progressed safely without any lost-time incidents. BPTT has now operated for just over 12 million manhours without a lost-time incident."

Notes to editors:
BPTT accounts for approximately 55 per cent of Trinidad and Tobago's hydrocarbon production and 11 per cent of BP's oil and gas production worldwide.

Facts on the Savonette platform:
Project sanctioned: 4 April 2008
Platform design: Clone of Cannonball, Mango and Cashima
Capacity: 1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) [standard clone design]
Peak production: 600 million scfd
Type of facility: Normally unmanned installation (NUI)
Tied into the existing Mahogany B platform
Project Partners: Engineering performed by Fluor Daniel South America Ltd and fabrication by Trinidad Offshore Fabricators Company (TOFCO) - both in Trinidad
Pipeline installation: June 2008
Jacket installation: September 2008
Topside installation: February 2009
First gas production: October 27 2009

— WebWireID106588 —

— WebWireID106513 —

As part of the multi-year contract, British Gas will be deploying the new Trimble TVG-660 in-vehicle device that combines Global Positioning System (GPS) and vehicle diagnostic capabilities. The benefits of the solution include accurate fuel consumption reporting and information on vehicle condition and performance.

"British Gas is a leading, customer-focused company so we are very pleased to be broadening our relationship to support them in keeping their service-delivery promise to customers," said Andrew Yeoman, managing director of Trimble's MRM, EMEA. "In addition, using GeoManager with vehicle diagnostics will provide British Gas a platform to deliver the best value to their customers, shareholders and the environment through reduced operational costs, lower fuel consumption and an improved carbon footprint."

Trimble Mobile Resource Management (MRM) solutions are designed to automate the management of mobile resources and to optimize the service delivery process for customers across a variety of industries. Trimble delivers MRM solutions on a global basis to vertical markets which include: telco, construction supply, field service, and transportation & distribution. Trimble MRM solutions are designed to provide a secure, scalable, upgradeable, enterprise-class platform, and are offered in on-demand software delivery, on-premise or hybrid environments that can seamlessly connect mobile workers in the field to real-time data. More information about Trimble MRM solutions can be found at: www.trimble.com/mobile_resource_management.

About British Gas

British Gas is a part of Centrica, a top 30 FTSE100 company, with growing energy businesses in the UK and North America. British Gas provides gas, electricity and home repair services to millions of customers in Scotland, Wales and England and is the UK's leading energy and home services provider.

For more information, visit: www.britishgas.co.uk.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

— WebWireID106448 —

Said Manon Vincelette, head of Community Affairs, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development at QMM: "We are very proud to be a recipient of this esteemed award. More importantly, we are pleased that QMM has been recognised for protecting and conserving the unique biodiversity of the mining sites and other related infrastructures and for building capacity for better use of the natural resources."

"I share this award with our hardworking employees at Rio Tinto and QMM as an affirmation that our dedication and effort to address the issues of biodiversity and ecosystem service degradation will have long reaching and positive effects for society and present a benchmark for the mining industry."

"Of course we have not done this alone. Active engagement with local, national and international stakeholders has been fundamental to the success of the project. We engaged extensively with aid agencies and international institutions to build capability in the areas of communities, education and health. QMM also worked with numerous specialist environmental organisations researching the region's biodiversity. I also thank our former managing director Gary O" Bryan for his support and direction on the project."

"An independent biodiversity advisory committee was formed in 2001 to review the biodiversity strategy and on-the-ground conservation action which consists of biodiversity experts in various fields of longstanding experience and globally renowned research credentials in Madagascar," said Vincelette.

Rio Tinto recognises that biodiversity and ecosystem service degradation are issues of global significance that will have long reaching, negative effects for society if not addressed promptly and effectively. These issues present new challenges to the mining industry as a whole.

Noteworthy characteristics of QMM'S biodiversity programme include identifying opportunities to enhance biodiversity conservation and promote fast growing plantations for community use, biodiversity conservation, rehabilitation and dune stabilisation. It also seeks to restore the natural ecosystems and rehabilitate the land.

The adjudication of the awards was extensive and involved a detailed submission form, interview with an expert panel of adjudicators and a site visit to QMM in Madagascar. Three independent and expert adjudicators in consultation with Nedbank were appointed to peruse and evaluate all submissions and the award winner selected based on the "best-in-class" principle.

Ny Fanja Rakotomalala, president of QMM in Madagascar on being informed of the award added his congratulation to Vincelette and the Biodiversity and environment team, consisting of 85, all Malagasy. "We at QMM are proud of this international recognition of our achievement in Environment and Biodiversity," said Rakotomalala.
The award was handed over by Tom Boardman, CEO of Nedbank, in his speech he said: "For the last two years, the Awards have been open to nominations for Green Mining from across the African continent and one of last year's winners was from Ghana. This year, we are happy to say that applications were again received from outside South Africa's borders. The Nedbank Group - as the first African Bank to become a signatory to the Equator Principles - is committed to responsible and constructive development across the continent. On the 15th of September, this year, the Nedbank Group took this commitment a giant step further by announcing our decision to achieve carbon neutral status. We are the first South African bank to do this and our green status will put us on a par with the likes of HSBC and Deutsche Bank."

"I am also happy to say that Nedbank Group recently won "Socially Responsible Bank of the Year" at the African Banker Awards, which are designed to recognise the reforms, rapid modernisation, consolidation, integration and expansion of Africa's banking and financial system. Through our involvement in the Princes Rainforest Project, we are actively contributing towards the preservation of Africa's tropical rainforests by seeking forestry carbon offsets on the continent. Although the rainforests might feel very far away from South Africa, their destruction through slash-and-burn agriculture and commercial logging will have adverse effects on the life of every person who calls Africa home."

"Nedbank Capital is privileged to partner with mining companies across the full spectrum of mineral resources. It is encouraging to note that in our dealings with these companies that play such a crucial role in driving South Africa's economy, is that they are increasingly cognizant of their own sustainability and impact on the environment. This has seen us not only funding much of the activity in the sector but also becoming the partner of choice in Mining Rehabilitation Fund management. A notable example of this is the recent conclusion of an agreement to manage the Harmony Rehabilitation Trust and the Cooke Rehabilitation Trust for Rand Uranium," said Boardman.

About Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa.

— WebWireID106396 —

SAN RAMON, Calif. - Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX), through its subsidiaries Chevron Australia Pty Ltd and Chevron (TAPL) Pty Ltd, announced that it signed an agreement with Apache Julimar Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA), and KUFPEC Australia (Julimar) Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company k.s.c., to bring them into Chevron's Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) project as natural gas suppliers and 25 percent equity partners in the project facilities.

Under the agreement, Apache and KUFPEC will provide natural gas from their Julimar and Brunello fields, located in northwestern Australia, to supply 25 percent of the inlet gas to trains 1 and 2 of the Wheatstone project. Apache will assume a 16.25 percent equity interest and KUFPEC an 8.75 percent equity interest in the project. Chevron will remain the project operator.

"We are pleased to have Apache and KUFPEC as foundation partners in the project. Bringing in Apache and KUFPEC is intended to help us grow a Wheatstone LNG hub to process both Chevron and third-party gas. We anticipate that both Chevron equity gas and third-party gas will be available for further expansion trains now that the foundation project is in place," said Jim Blackwell, president, Chevron Asia Pacific.

John Gass, president, Chevron Global Gas, added "Creating the Wheatstone project as an LNG hub will continue to help unlock natural gas resources in the Carnarvon Basin and establish a new source of LNG from Australia for customers in the Asia-Pacific market."

In July 2009, Chevron announced the award of a major front-end engineering and design contract for the first phase of the project's development. Chevron expects to make a final investment decision on the Wheatstone project in 2011. The facility is to be located at Ashburton North on the mainland of Western Australia.

Discovered in 2004, Chevron's Wheatstone field is located in the WA-253-P and WA-17-R permit areas in water depths of around 650 feet (200 meters). The adjacent Iago field was discovered in 2000 and spans two retention permits: WA-17-R, which is wholly owned by Chevron Australia, and WA-16-R, in which Chevron has a majority interest.

Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company's success is driven by the ingenuity and commitment of approximately 62,000 employees who operate across the energy spectrum. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and other energy products; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels and other renewables. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

Cautionary Statement Relevant to Forward-Looking Information for the Purpose of "Safe Harbor" Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Some of the items discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements about Chevron's activities in Australia. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "budgets" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The statements are based upon management's current expectations, estimates and projections; are not guarantees of future performance; and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the company's control and are difficult to predict. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are changes in prices of, demand for and supply of crude oil and natural gas; actions of competitors; timely completion of the development of fields; the potential disruption or interruption of production and development activities due to war, accidents, political events, civil unrest, or severe weather; government-mandated sales, divestitures, recapitalizations and changes in fiscal terms or restrictions on scope of company operations; and general economic and political conditions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Unless legally required, Chevron undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

— WebWireID106265 —

Linde North America is part of The Linde Group, a world leading gases and engineering group. Linde's National Operations Center houses the production forecasting, delivery scheduling and even remote monitoring and operation of the company's network of over 70 atmospheric and process gas plants throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

'Moving to Stewartsville enables Linde to put key components of our supply, distribution and engineering functions under one roof. That way our people can help each other at a moment's notice to keep customers' businesses operating without a hitch,' said Steve Jennings, head of scheduling, who oversees the NOC.

Linde's NOC began in 1986 as a five-person operation in a small office in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, adjacent to an air separation plant Linde operates. It was created to consolidate the scheduling and planning of the company's bulk gas deliveries, a job previously carried out at each production location.

Two decades and three major expansions later, the center's 150 employees now handle nearly all aspects of keeping Linde's 10,000-plus bulk customers in North America supplied with the gases they need to keep their businesses running.

NOC employees schedule and dispatch some 35,000 deliveries a month, made by drivers who travel over 80 million miles to deliver oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, helium and carbon dioxide.

Besides product scheduling and remote plant operations, the NOC also houses functions such as customer engineering services, rail/logistics, energy services and safety, health, environment and quality.

'Linde is moving our NOC from Bethlehem because we wanted to provide added security to this critical center of our business. Moving 16 miles east puts us slightly closer to our North American headquarters in Murray Hill but still keeps us in the Lehigh Valley, where we've become an integral part of the local community,' Jennings said.

The new, 28,000 square foot location also has enabled Linde to upgrade most of the technology used to keep customers supplied, such as remote monitoring of customer inventory, operating and monitoring plant production and communicating with trucks on the road delivering to customers.

'It seems fitting that as the National Operations Center enters its third decade of existence, it does so in a facility that is equipped with the latest technological infrastructure and system redundancy to support Linde's customers, even in the event of a major snowstorm or power outage along the East Coast,' Jennings said.

Linde's customer contact details haven't changed. You can always reach Linde's NOC at +1.800.232-4726.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 50,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2008 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 12.7 billion (USD 15.9 billion). The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information about Linde in North America, visit http://www.lindeus.com

— WebWireID105909 —

* Larox's filtration technologies complement Outotec's technology portfolio and enable the offering of comprehensive solutions for minerals concentrators and metallurgical plants of the large joint customer base.
* The transaction is expected to increase Outotec's service business by over EUR 70 million and enable Outotec to increase its sales of services to an annual level of EUR 250-300 million by the end of 2010.
* The transaction supports Outotec's businesses relating to industrial water treatment and the energy sector.
* Larox provides Outotec access to the chemical industry market on which Outotec can offer for example water treatment solutions.
* Combining the global sales and service networks and administration of both companies as well as economies of scale achieved by the larger size are estimated to create synergy benefits of at least EUR 7 million annually.
* The combination is not expected to have a significant effect on Outotec's earnings per share in 2010 excluding possible one-time costs related to the transaction. When the synergies materialize in 2011, the transaction is expected to have a clearly positive effect on Outotec's earnings per share.
* The solid financial position and balance sheet of the combined company will enhance international growth opportunities.

Share Transactions and Tender Offer

Outotec has today on October 15, 2009 agreed with certain members of the Vartiainen family, Capillary Oy, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company, Mikko Laakkonen and Laakkosen Arvopaperi Oy on share transactions, in which the aforementioned will sell all their Larox series A and B shares to Outotec (the "Share Transactions"). The purchase price for such shares will be paid in the form of new Outotec shares. The shares to be purchased correspond altogether to 94.40 per cent of all the votes in Larox, to 99.99 per cent of all Larox series A shares and to 61.89 per cent of all Larox series B shares. The completion of the Share Transactions is conditional on the receipt of necessary approvals from the competition authorities (the "Competition Clearances"). Based on a preliminary analysis, Outotec does not consider it likely that the receipt of the Competition Clearances would, in addition to the first phase investigation, require a second phase investigation and estimates therefore the clearances to be received in December, at the latest.

Upon completion of the Share Transactions, Outotec will make a mandatory public tender offer pursuant to the Finnish Securities Market Act for all series A and series B shares in Larox that are not yet, as a consequence of the Share Transactions or otherwise, owned by Outotec (the "Tender Offer").

In connection with the Share Transactions Capillary Oy has informed Outotec that it will make an offer to Larox to purchase the 49 per cent share held by Larox of Larox Flowsys Oy's share capital. Provided that the Board of Directors of Larox decides on such sale after the completion of the Share Transactions, Outotec has confirmed that it will, after the completion of the Tender Offer, contribute to the fact that the shares in Larox Flowsys Oy owned by Larox will be assigned to Capillary Oy for their fair price at the time of the sale and that Larox Flowsys Oy shall be entitled to continue using the name "Larox" for an agreed period. Based on a statement given by an external independent expert the value of the Larox Flowsys Oy shares to be sold is currently approximately EUR 3.5 million.

The Offer Consideration

The consideration to be offered for each series A and series B share in the Tender Offer equals to the consideration under the Share Transactions, i.e. 0.45 Outotec shares per each Larox series A share and 0.40 Outotec shares per each Larox series B share (the "Share Consideration"). Should the aggregate Share Consideration, to which an individual Larox shareholder would, based on the above exchange ratios, be entitled to, not be an integer, the number of Outotec shares to be offered to him/her as consideration will be rounded up to the nearest integer.

As required under the Finnish Securities Market Act, a cash consideration of EUR 10.76 per each series A share and EUR 9.56 per each series B share will be offered as an alternative in the Tender Offer (the "Cash Consideration"). The amount of the Cash Consideration corresponds to the value of the Share Consideration based on the closing price of Outotec share on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd. on October 14, 2009, the last trading day preceding this announcement (the "Closing Day") (the Share Consideration and the Cash Consideration jointly the "Offer Consideration"). The transaction values Larox as a whole at approximately EUR 93 million.

The Offer Consideration for each Larox series B share represents a premium of approximately 36.6 per cent compared to the closing price of the Larox series B share on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd. on the Closing Day, and a premium of approximately 41.8 per cent compared to the volume-weighted average trading price of the Larox series B share during the last 6 months. The Larox series A share is not subject to public trading.

As at the date hereof, Larox's share capital amounts to EUR 5,628,960. The number of issued Larox series A shares amounts to 2,124,000 and series B shares to 7,301,950. Larox series A shares entitle to 20 votes each and Larox series B shares to one vote each. Outotec does not currently own any Larox shares.

Other terms and conditions of the Tender Offer

The acceptance period under the Tender Offer is expected to commence within 2-3 weeks from the completion of the Share Transactions after the receipt of the Competition Clearances, and to run for approximately 3 weeks. Outotec reserves the right to extend the acceptance period in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Tender Offer.

The detailed terms and conditions of the Tender Offer will be included in the
combined offer document and prospectus that Outotec will publish within 2-3 weeks after the receipt of the Competition Clearances.

Outotec will publish a stock exchange release on the receipt of the Competition Clearances and completion of the Share Transactions without delay.

The possible Cash Consideration to be offered in the Tender Offer will be financed through existing cash reserves of Outotec.

The effects of the transaction on Outotec

Outotec estimates the transaction to have a positive effect on Outotec's business. The estimated synergy benefits are at least EUR 7 million annually. The transaction is not expected to have a significant effect on Outotec's earnings per share in 2010 excluding the possible one-time costs relating to the transaction. When the synergies materialize in 2011 the transaction is expected to have a clearly positive effect on Outotec's earnings per share.

Effects on the number of Outotec shares

The Outotec shares offered as consideration in the Share Transactions and possibly as Share Consideration in the Tender Offer will be issued in deviation from the shareholders' pre-emptive subscription right based on the authorization given to the Board of Directors by the Annual General Meeting of Outotec on March 18, 2009.

Outotec will in connection with the completion of the Share Transactions issue 2,763,419 new shares for the payment of the consideration in the Share Transactions. If all the remaining current Larox shareholders accept the Share Consideration offered in the Tender Offer, Outotec would in connection with the completion of the Tender Offer in addition issue a maximum of approximately 1,115,500 new shares. Outotec has currently 42 million registered shares. As a consequence of the issues the total number of registered Outotec shares would amount to a maximum of approximately 45,878,900 and the current Larox shareholders would own a maximum of approximately 8.5 per cent of the aggregate shares in Outotec.

Information regarding the companies

Outotec is a leading international developer and provider of technologies for the mining and metallurgical industries. It offers innovative and environmentally sound plants, processes, equipment and services to its customers worldwide. Outotec's sales in 2008 amounted to approximately EUR 1.2 billion and the company has approximately 2,500 employees in 21 countries. Outotec's headquarters are located in Espoo, Finland. Outotec is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki and its market capitalization on October 14, 2009, was approximately EUR 1.0 billion. Outotec will publish its January - September 2009 interim report on October 23 at 9.00 (EEST). Additional information at.

Larox develops and delivers industrial filters for separating solids from liquids. Larox's filtration solutions are mainly used worldwide in the mining and metallurgical industries as well as in chemical processing. Larox operates in over 40 countries. The company is headquartered in Lappeenranta, Finland and it has production facilities in Finland and China. Sales in 2008 totaled EUR 208.0 million, and the number of employees was approximately 560. Larox is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki and on October 14, 2009, the market capitalization of its series B shares subject to public trading was approximately EUR 51 million. The key financial figures for the period January 1 - June 30, 2009 presented in Attachment 1 hereto have been extracted from the interim report published by Larox on August 6, 2009. Larox will publish its January - September 2009 interim report on October 23 at 8.30 (EEST). Additional information at.

Advisors

Aventum Partners Ltd. acts as Outotec's financial advisor and Roschier, Attorneys Ltd. as Outotec's legal advisor in connection with the Share Transactions and the Tender Offer.

Teleconference:
Teleconference regarding the transaction will be held in English for investors, analysts and media starting at 4.15 p.m. (EEST). To register as a participant for the teleconference please dial:

FI/UK: +44 20 7162 0025
Code: 848509

The presentation material will be available at at 3.30 p.m.

In addition, an on demand version of the conference call will be published on Outotec webcast center later in the afternoon.

www.outotec.com

THE TENDER OFFER IS NOT BEING MADE DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY IN ANY JURISDICTION
WHERE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW AND THIS STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE IS NOT AND MAY NOT BE DISTRIBUTED, FORWARDED OR TRANSMITTED INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW BY ANY MEANS WHATSOEVER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, MAIL, FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION, E-MAIL OR TELEPHONE.

— WebWireID105795 —

The lunar surface is a loose collection of irregular dust grains, known as regolith. Incoming particles should be trapped in the spaces between the grains and absorbed. When this happens to protons they are expected to interact with the oxygen in the lunar regolith to produce hydroxyl and water. The signature for these molecules was recently found and reported by Chandrayaan-1's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument team.

The SARA results confirm that solar hydrogen nuclei are indeed being absorbed by the lunar regolith but also highlight a mystery: not every proton is absorbed. One out of every five rebounds into space. In the process, the proton joins with an electron to become an atom of hydrogen. 'We didn't expect to see this at all,' says Stas Barabash, Swedish Institute of Space Physics, who is the European Principal Investigator for the Sub-keV Atom Reflecting Analyzer (SARA) instrument, which made the discovery.

Although Barabash and his colleagues do not know what is causing the reflections, the discovery paves the way for a new type of image to be made. The hydrogen shoots off with speeds of around 200 km/s and escapes without being deflected by the Moon's weak gravity. Hydrogen is also electrically neutral, and is not diverted by the magnetic fields in space. So the atoms fly in straight lines, just like photons of light. In principle, each atom can be traced back to its origin and an image of the surface can be made. The areas that emit most hydrogen will show up the brightest.

Whilst the Moon does not generate a global magnetic field, some lunar rocks are magnetised. Barabash and his team are currently making images, to look for such 'magnetic anomalies' in lunar rocks. These generate magnetic bubbles that deflect incoming protons away into surrounding regions making magnetic rocks appear dark in a hydrogen image.

The incoming protons are part of the solar wind, a constant stream of particles given off by the Sun. They collide with every celestial object in the Solar System but are usually stopped by the body's atmosphere. On bodies without such a natural shield, for example asteroids or the planet Mercury, the solar wind reaches the ground. The SARA team expects that these objects too will reflect many of the incoming protons back into space as hydrogen atoms.

This knowledge provides timely advice for the scientists and engineers who are readying ESA's BepiColombo mission to Mercury. The spacecraft will be carrying two similar instruments to SARA and may find that the inner-most planet is reflecting more hydrogen than the Moon because the solar wind is more concentrated closer to the Sun.


Notes to Editors:

SARA was one of three instruments that ESA contributed to Chandrayaan-1, the lunar orbiter that finished its mission in August 2009. The instrument was built jointly by scientific groups from Sweden, India, Japan, and Switzerland: Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden; Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum, India; University of Bern, Switzerland; and Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Sagamihara, Japan. The instrument is led by Principal Investigators Stanislav Barabash, IRF, Sweden, and Anil Bhardwaj, VSSC, India.

This article reflects findings presented in 'Extremely high reflection of solar wind protons as neutral hydrogen atoms from regolith in space', by M. Wieser, S. Barabash, Y. Futaana, M. Holmström, A. Bhardwaj, R. Sridharan, M.B. Dhanya, P. Wurz, A. Schaufelberger and K. Asamura, in press, Planetary and Space Science, 2009.

— WebWireID105784 —

Under the terms of the agreement up to 15 per cent of production was proposed to be sold by the joint venture, independent of Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton.

Following discussions between the two companies, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton have decided not to proceed with the joint venture marketing activity. As a result, all production from the proposed joint venture would be marketed separately by Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton.

The two companies believe that this change will clarify the nature of the JV for customers and emphasise its focus on realising significant production and development synergies.

Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are pleased with progress towards definitive JV agreements and expect to finalise these agreements on schedule.

About Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa.

— WebWireID105758 —