Energy

WHEN energy giant BP and miner Rio Tinto quietly shelved a joint $2 billion 'clean coal' power initiative at Kwinana in May last year, many pundits considered it the death knell for the state's nascent coal-gasification sector.

THE Chamber of Minerals and Energy Western Australia has joined fellow resources industry bodies across the country in affirming expected strong demand for labour in the sector in the coming decades.

THE state government is to conduct a review of the plan to privatise GESB, which manages as much as $9 billion in superannuation funds.

SINO Gas & Energy will be the latest Perth-based company to test investor appetite for initial public offerings as the number of companies with listing aspirations starts to increase.

While the state’s budding uranium industry grabbed local headlines last week, two Perth companies quietly confirmed the potential of southern WA as a new source of transport fuels.

The ports of Dampier and Port Hedland remain the largest bulk export ports in the world, with combined throughput of the two ports amounting to more than 300 million tonnes last financial year.

The Broome Port Authority has signed a leasing agreement with Woodside that it hopes will position Broome as the major supply base for future gas projects off the Kimberley coast, including Woodside's proposed Browse Basin project.

Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers have appointed Societe Generale as its financial advisor for the $3.5 billion Collie urea project.

West Perth-based Red Sky Energy has agreed to acquire private company Cydonia Resources, which holds coal seam gas permits in Queensland's Surat Basin, and plans to raise $4 million through a share placement.

Tokyo Electric Power Co is reportedly considering buying a stake in Inpex's $20 billion Ichthys liquefied natural gas project.

Shares in Liberty Resources have soared as much as 56 per cent following a deal with Carbon Energy for the joint development of an underground coal gasification project in Queensland.

Construction and mining contractor Macmahon Holdings has secured an extension of its contract at BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam mine, valued at more than $110 million.

The state government will halve the royalty rate for tight gas operations in a bid to substantially boost Western Australia's gas supply.

We need Chinese money – Barnett; Premier signals tough deal; We must vote for ETS – Abbott; Chevron on track to oust Woodside on assets table; Aust Post in bid to raise stamp price

Adelaide-based Toro Energy has put itself into the running to develop the state's first uranium mine, saying its Wiluna project could start production as early as 2012.

Nomad Building Solutions is the latest recipient of a Gorgon gas project contract, with work awarded as part of an overall $500 million contract to build the accommodation village.

The state's peak energy user group, DomGas Alliance, has elected Tony Petersen as its new chairman, taking over from Stuart Hohnen who has left for personal reasons.

Canada's Mega Uranium has taken a step closer towards developing the state's first uranium mine with the signing of a formal agreement for a $60 million Japanese deal and guaranteeing to provide employment opportunities for indigenous Western Australians.

Cashed-up NAB to cast its net; Poor safety record hits BHP output; Federal support on WA uranium; Union wants 20% pay rise for school workers; Expert to review GESB plan

The case of Stern Hu is disturbing but should not be surprising to China watchers.

Some familiar names return to fight it out in our annual survey.

Power provision is a major challenge for Western Australia.

THE decision to rebrand an organisation is often a difficult one to make, due to the challenging, costly and time-consuming nature of the process.

WESTERN Power and Verve Energy are shaping for a fight over increases in electricity network charges recommended by the independent market regulator last week.

Better usage of our water resources could help spark the development of new industries.

Subiaco-based Liberty Resources has signed an agreement with private company Clean Global Energy to develop an underground coal gasification project in Queensland.

The federal government has quashed Rio Tinto's push for the government to consider nuclear power as a way to meet climate change targets.

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BHP Billiton Iron Ore and World Vision have teamed up to form a $5 million partnership to boost care and health activities for pre-school aged children in the east Pilbara.

China's biggest offshore oil and gas producer China National Offshore Oil Co (CNOOC) is poised to kick off its first major drilling program in Australian waters as it seeks to match Japanese rival Inpex by establishing its own Australian production base.

Mining services company Imdex and drilling specialist Coretrack have agreed to a $28.4 million merger that will create an entity focused on the burgeoning oil and gas sector.

Western Australia appears to have weathered the global economic downturn but the resource-rich state must still rely on China's appetite for bulk commodities to stay in the clear, according to Access Economics.