Energy

World oil prices drifted higher on Thursday but the market remained plagued by persistent doubts over the eurozone's debt crisis and in particular the plight of Italy, traders said.

Queensland-based engineering firm Intelara has opened a Perth office, in response to rising demand for its services in Western Australia.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has defended the $23-a-tonne starting price for carbon emissions, after the price in Europe's carbon market fell to between $10 and $13 in recent months.

The Australian share market closed slightly lower after energy stocks lost ground and Westpac and Macquarie Group traded without a dividend.

Rio Tinto chairman Jan Du Plessis says he can't see European leaders coming up with a sustainable solution to the region's financial problems.

WEST Perth renewable energy business New Energy Corporation plans to build a $180 million waste-to-energy plant in Port Hedland to service the region’s growing population and the major resource pro

SECURING future access to fuels in Western Australia and the success of energy-efficiency measures in industry outside of a carbon tax were two key issues discussed at an energy conference in Perth

Voters appear to be abandoning the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and her rush to introduce a carbon tax. Money is just ignoring her.

WESTERN Australia’s largest renewable energy project has begun producing electricity three months ahead of schedule.

Incoming Woodside Petroleum chief executive Peter Coleman said today he would focus on delivering on the company's established strategy, including work on its three major growth projects Pluto, Browse and Sunrise.

Filipino workers paid "slave labour" rates on the North West Shelf could be entitled to tens of thousands of dollars in back pay, the Australian Workers Union says.

If a tax is put on carbon, 34,000 jobs will bloom from the clean energy boom - 1,000 in Western Australia - research from The Climate Institute shows.

Filipinos are working at "near slave labour" rates for a Danish shipping company on the North West Shelf, the Australian Workers Union says.

Perth-based engineering and construction group Clough has announced that its Clough Curtain joint venture has been awarded $209 million in work orders associated with the PNG liquefied natural gas upstream infrastructure project.

WA's steel industry has called for the Barnett government to release more details on how much local work has been created by Chevron's $43 billion Gorgon gas project and Fortescue Metals Group's iron ore operations in the Pilbara.

Oil and gas producer Santos has reported a 15.2 per cent increase in full year net profit on higher prices for the fuels.

Shell Australia and Woodside Petroleum have bolstered their relationship, entering a deal to redevelop fuel supply facilities at Dampier's King Bay.

Chevron has announced its tenth offshore discovery in Australia over the past 18 months, with a significant Carnarvon Basin find that will feed into its $43 billion Gorgon natural gas project.

Strategic Marine has cashed in on Chevron's Gorgon liquefied natural gas project, winning a contract to build four workboats for the consortium developing the gas jetty and other marine structures.

VERVE Energy is developing a $150 million wind farm near Geraldton with a private partner.

Burrup denies any misuse of funds - The Fin; State urged to make NBN uptake compulsory – The West; Infigen-Eurus mull Emu wind farm tilt – The Fin; EC ruling looms for Rio, BHP – The Aus; Brown makes gas hub stand – The West

Australia’s first community wind farm is to be built in Mount Barker, providing enough energy for the town when it is completed

The state government hopes the Collgar Wind Farm at Merredin will be up and running by August next year.

A $40 BILLION liquefied natural gas supply contract has crowned a sustained investment push into Western Australia by South Korean companies determined to shore up their long term supplies of key commodities.

Energy giant Shell has struck its first third party supply deal for liquefied natural gas from its planned $US5 billion Prelude floating LNG project off the Kimberley coast.

UPDATE: Japan's Inpex has pushed back its planned first gas date from its $20 billion Ichthys project by one year to 2016.

Leighton Holdings' value of work at Chevron's massive Gorgon gas project has risen past $1 billion after it, in consortium with Saipem, was awarded a further $150 million of work to build the project's liquefied natural gas jetty and marine structure.

The future of Western Australia’s renewable energy sector has been given a shot in the arm this week with two of the state’s largest earth-friendly power projects taking significant steps forward.

The Economic Regulation Authority has progressed the development of one of the largest wind farms in the country after granting an electricity generation licence to the $750 million Collgar wind farm in the Wheatbelt.

Chevron has awarded a Chinese engineering company a $US180 million contract for the construction of modules for the Gorgon gas project that was originally earmarked for Australian steel fabricators.

The state government has announced the development of an energy Generation Outlook to provide an outline of the type, size and timing of future power generation to help ensure Western Australia has adequate, cost-efficient electricity supply.

A new gas-fired power station in Karratha has started operations ahead of schedule today, giving the resource-intense region an energy boost.