SYDNEY (XFN-ASIA) - BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi Corp have signed an agreement with the Cambodian government to explore for bauxite in eastern Cambodia, BHP Billiton said.
A BHP Billiton spokeswoman said the two companies will also look at the potential for constructing an alumina refinery if bauxite mining proves feasible.
'It is very early days with pre-feasibility and feasibility studies still to be carried out,' she said.
The spokeswoman said the studies will include environmental impact and the possibility of unexploded ordinance being within areas which may be mined.
She said BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi will have exclusive rights to negotiate a mining agreement with the government once the initial studies and exploration work are completed, which is most likely to be by the end of 2008.
Earlier, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is visiting Australia, and Australian Prime Minister John Howard ratified the agreement at a meeting in Canberra.
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