Energy

West Perth-based Otto Energy has agreed to farm-out 60 per cent of its Philippines oil and gas project to BHP Billiton Petroleum.

A new industrial area is set to be created at Ashburton North which is being considered by oil giants Chevron, Exxon Mobil and BHP Billiton Petroleum for development of gas reserves in the Carnarvon Basin and Exmouth Gulf.

Babcock & Brown Power could face a class action lawsuit over the alleged failure to properly disclose its refinancing arrangements in the wake of the Alinta acquisition.

The state environment watchdog has rejected Premier Colin Barnett's preferred location for a liquefied natural gas hub in the Kimberley, saying nearby settlements are likely to be affected by emissions.

The state's Economic Regulation Authority says a re-amalgamation of Verve Energy and Synergy will have adverse implications on the wholesale energy market.

RIO Tinto will cut 14,000 jobs, slash its 2009 capital spending from $9 billion to $4 billion and increase asset sales in order to reduce its $38.9 billion debt by a further $10 billion by the end of

THE global credit crunch effectively put the brakes on the Western Australian property market during the latter part of 2008, limiting sales volumes and hampering the development of new projects.

AT first it seemed Western Australia, riding the mining boom, was digging a hole all the way to China.

Alliance Resources Ltd Patrick Mutz has been appointed managing director. The group's current CEO Steve Johnston will remain as general manager.

SWEEPING changes have occurred at WA Newspapers Holdings this month, with a number of arrivals at the state's biggest media outlet and publisher of The West Australian.

THIS is State Scene's eighth year-in-review column and, like the first, it features a change of government.

WHEN Alcoa of Australia announced that it was embarking on a joint venture to develop the $100 million Warro gas project north of Perth, it underscored the biggest business issue of 2008 - energy security.

Finsia Residential Property Outlook The strength of Australia's economy has been highlighted in recent years by its ability to withstand a number of internal and external events, including a major dro

WESTERN Australia is one of the worst-performing states in the take-up of renewable energy, with just more than 8,000 customers signed up to an accredited GreenPower product in 2007.

REGIONAL energy supplier Horizon Power has teamed up with Darwin-based PowerCorp and Perth-based SunPower Australia to build two hybrid solar-diesel power stations in the Pilbara, at a cost of $25 mil

Perth-based Indo Mines has secured a $5 million financing facility with Anglo Pacific Group for its $860 million Indonesian project.

The state government will ask the private sector to submit proposals for the expansion of Exmouth Boat Habour, which is increasingly catering for super-yachts and ideally placed to service the oil and gas industry.

Banks agree to extend Centro's $5bn debt; CBA seeks $2bn in late dash for cash; Industry revolt on green plan; Telstra hit again; Burrup counts the cost as gas supply comes back on stream

Gas giants win millions in carbon scheme compo; Telstra barred from broadband; Investors on edge as Centro talks drag on; Mine exports slashed by $30bn; Property slump is building

The federal government's white paper on emissions targets has received mixed responses from lobby groups and companies across the country, while one of the loudest critics of the scheme keeps relatively quiet.

The weaker Australian dollar is expected to provide a buffer for Australia's commodity export earnings, which is forecast to drop by over 10 per cent for the 2009 financial year.

Premier takes on Mid West port push; Barnett says power merger has merit; $1.4bn to soften pain of carbon trading scheme; Arabs in multi-billion plan to buy WA farms; Up in smoke - share funds set for worst year on record

Tap Oil says the Harriet joint venture has re-started gas sales to the domestic market following the Varanus Island gas explosion.

Regional energy supplier Horizon Power has teamed up with PowerCorp and SunPower Australia to build two solar power stations in the Pilbara, valued at $25 million.

Deputy chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, Melinda Cilento, has been appointed to the board of Woodside Petroleum.

Woodside boss Don Voelte and Rio Tinto Iron Ore CEO Sam Walsh are surprise additions to the board of West Australian Newspapers Holdings, while Channel Seven's Chris Wharton has been appointed as WAN's chief executive.

THE company behind the redevelopment of the old Swanbourne Hospital site says it will review its position following the State Administrative Tribunal's decision to back the City of Nedlands' rejection of the proposal.

GLOBAL engineering and environmental services firm Golder Associates has opened a new laboratory in Osborne Park to extend its testing service capabilities.

WHILE philanthropists' money is always welcome, there are those for whom an increasing reliance on the private sector is a concern.

APACHE and Santos have deferred development of the $900 million Reindeer gas project, with engineering company Clough likely to be the biggest loser.

I'M no economist but I really do have to question the wisdom of the federal government's $10 billion injection into the economy.

YOU don't have to be a Rhodes scholar to understand that, over the past 12 months, global financial markets have experienced some of the most severe and destabilising events ever seen.