BHP Billiton, the world’s largest diversified resource company at the start of the 21st century, began a feasibility study in 1995 for building an aluminum smelter project in the Maputo province in southern Mozambique. BHP Billiton (BHBP) was committed to sustainable development and believed that social and environmental performance were critical factors in business success. The company’s stated aim was to enhance the societal benefit of its operations and to reduce its environmental impact while creating value for many of its stakeholders. However, this project was, at best, a corporate challenge and certainly a very risky venture. The case asks how BHP Billiton should approach this multilayered project, and whether it should consider investing in smelters in other countries that might be more hospitable to development.