BHP CFO David Lamont: Asset portfolio contains opportunities to unlock billions in value, but no timetable set

(1) Vandita Pant, Chief Financial Officer of BHP Group, stated on February 17 that by actively managing its asset portfolio, the company has "quite a few opportunities" to unlock more value, but will not set a deadline for achieving its target of generating up to $10 billion through transactions. (2) The company announced on Tuesday that it has signed a $4.3 billion streaming agreement with Wheaton Precious Metals for silver from the Antamina mine in Peru. This deal is part of BHP's strategy to create value through portfolio management, with the goal of generating up to $10 billion in total from such transactions, including this sale to Wheaton and a $2 billion Australian power infrastructure agreement signed last December. (3) In an interview after BHP announced its half-year results, Pant said: "Within our company, there are many infrastructure assets or undervalued assets that may be underestimated. We have desalination assets, as well as other power assets. There are quite a few opportunities in this area." She emphasized that BHP will not set a timetable for any future transactions. "I am very confident that our shareholders can see that we are not just talking, but actually doing. You can expect that we will continue to manage our capital and asset base very keenly to create incremental value for shareholders, and these two transactions demonstrate that."