First Quantum Minerals to Pay Final Dividend of Cdn $0.603 Per Share

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - March 15, 2011) - First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ("First Quantum" or the "Company") (TSX:FM)(LSE:FQM) announced today that its Board of Directors has approved a final dividend of Cdn $0.603 per share in respect of the financial year ended December 31, 2010. The increase in this dividend follows a strong performance from our operations and the gain on the sale of investments.

The dividend will be paid on May 5, 2011 to shareholders of record on April 14, 2011. The ex-dividend date is April 12, 2011.

The final dividend of Cdn $0.603, together with the interim dividend of Cdn $0.197, is a total of Cdn $0.80 for the 2010 financial year. This is a 35% increase over the total dividend paid for the 2009 financial year.

The dividends paid are considered eligible dividends for Canadian tax purposes.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of First Quantum Minerals Ltd.

G. Clive Newall, President

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Listed in Standard and Poor's

Certain information contained in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements or information, including but not limited to those with respect to the prices of gold, copper, cobalt and sulphuric acid, estimated future production, estimated costs of future production, the Company's hedging policy and permitting time lines, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such factors include, among others, the actual prices of copper, gold, cobalt and sulphuric acid, the factual results of current exploration, development and mining activities, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time with the Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario Securities Commissions, the Autorite des marches financiers in Quebec, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the London Stock Exchange.