Saskia Pickles

Standout junior explorers are finding investors for their mining projects, while others are cutting back on exploration and development to counteract a tough corporate finance market and increased government fees.

BHP Billiton and CSIRO have announced they will spend $5 million over five years in a partnership to increase the scientific community’s understanding of the Ningaloo Reef.

Fortescue Metals Group has slashed its dividend after suffering an 81 per cent fall in first-half profit on the back of sharply lower iron ore prices.

The state’s new peak body for renewable energy and energy efficiency, which emerged after the collapse of the Sustainable Energy Association of Australia last year, is set to establish its leadersh

An institutional investor and a group of ultra high-net-worth individuals have taken a punt each way on a multi-billion dollar steel project.

Resources-focused TSG Consulting has embarked on a diversification and expansion plan in response to a growing demand from companies trying to unlock the secrets of big data.

Chinese-backed iron ore miner Top Iron has signed contracts with Brookfield Rail and Aurizon as it prepares to ship its first exports from Geraldton by March.

Shares in drilling services company Imdex jumped today on news of some financial success during challenging times for the exploration sector.

The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association has hit back at claims that members of the DomGas Alliance have supply concerns amid ongoing uncertainty over the North West Shelf joint marketing agreement.

Balamara Resources has announced plans to delist from the Australian Securities Exchange after citing the high cost of maintaining its listing and an inability to raise new capital.

Queensland-based contractor Goodline has been brought onto the Roy Hill iron ore project to finish work left incomplete following the termination of Laing O’Rourke’s $200 million plus contract earlier this week.

Sandfire Resources, the company that was famously targeted last year in a fossil fuel divestment campaign, is planning a $40 million renewable energy power station at its DeGrussa mine in Western Australia.

Recently crowned Big Bash League champions, Perth Scorchers, have secured nearly three times the sponsorship dollars this year compared with last year on the back of two tournament wins in successive seasons.

The North West Shelf’s six joint venture partners have yet to declare their hand as a deadline for ending their joint gas marketing agreement draws near.

Some of the prominent Perth businesswomen who are succeeding in male-dominated industries outline the strategies that have worked for them.

Plans for a $15 million renewable power station originally slated for a council in the state’s Mid West have been redeveloped for use at a Western Australian mine.

Perth-founded energy company ZBB Energy Corporation is banking its future on business and industry worldwide adopting hybrid energy systems.

When a prepared site was converted into the 77-apartment Adara complex near Cockburn in just 11 days late last year, the ‘potential’ for modular construction techniques in Perth became a reality.

A Bentley-based energy consulting firm that purports to save between 10 and 26 per cent on electricity bills is getting more work in the UK and Europe than Australia because those countries have regulations mandating big business carry out energy audits.

Some enterprising WA companies are flying under the radar with clean technology business ideas. We highlight local innovations in several fields.

Mid-tier iron ore miner Mineral Resources has criticised port charges after digging into its stockpiles to export 2.8 million tonnes in the December quarter.

Shares in Fortescue Metals Group lifted today after it reported an 11 per cent cut in production costs and flagged further reductions. For more on FMG, Tim Treadgold's opinion column (see below) outlines reasons why mining giant BHP Billiton should buy the iron ore miner.

A dispute between privately owned Alinta Energy and Horizon Power hangs over state government plans to overhaul the north-west’s unregulated electricity network.

Costing between $40,000 and $100,000, the drones Paul Deuchar sells and trains people to fly are more than just expensive toys.

Global business ET Solar has revealed it is in confidential talks with a Fremantle business to set up a nine-megawatt rooftop solar photovoltaic system.

Atlas Iron is targeting further savings after revealing it sold iron ore at a loss during the December quarter, selling for an average price of $63 per tonne compared to an all-in cash cost of $66 a tonne.

In just its second year in the tightly held retail gas market, Wesfarmers’ Kleenheat brand has stirred up intense competition among business customers.

Cost cutting may be the order of the day across the resources industry, but mining services provider Murray Engineering is marching to the beat of its own drum – hiring at its Pinjarra headquarters and opening a larger Kalgoorlie office.

Junior oil explorers angered by a sudden increase in government tenement fees are close to forming an alliance to fight the fee changes, including a 700 per cent increase for some onshore tenement fees.

Not everyone can afford a luxury electric Tesla vehicle, starting around $100,000, but the launch of the US brand in Australia this month is expected to impact on Western Australia's emerging electric vehicle market, according to the local branch of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association.

A business led by Northern Star Resources chairman Chris Rowe has capitalised on cost cutting by oil and gas companies to position itself among the world’s elite commercial operators of underwater drones.

The free-falling iron ore price has hit the state’s coffers hard this year, but one of the state’s most respected resources authorities is pragmatic about the future, given the cyclical nature of the commodities sector.