Energy

Norwegian company Yara International has moved to full ownership of the giant ammonia plant built by Pankaj Oswal in the Pilbara, paying a price that reflects the expected impact of higher gas prices in future.

Oil and gas company AWE has sold its stake in the Cliff Head offshore oil project to Elixir Petroleum, for an upfront payment of $1 million.

An independent panel has endorsed the proposed development of a liquefied natural gas precinct at James Price Point near Broome, but the recommendation may have little impact as project developers led by Woodside Petroleum have shifted their focus to floating LNG developments.

Oil and gas producers Drillsearch Energy and Beach Energy plan to create a $1.2 billion company with the backing of major shareholder Kerry Stokes.

Commodity prices are expected to rebound in the next two years, according to forecasts by the Economist Intelligence Unit, led by a sharp rise in the crude oil price and a lift in base metals.

Shares in Santos have jumped after the struggling energy giant revealed it has rejected a $7.1 billion takeover bid this week.

Investors have welcomed news that engineering and contracting firm Monadelphous Group has teamed up with a family-owned company in the US to target work in the shale gas industry.

Oil and gas producer Santos has made its first shipment of liquefied natural gas from its $18.5 billion GLNG project in Queensland.

The proponent of one of Perth's three waste-to-energy plants is hopeful more local councils will commit to diverting waste from landfill towards the $400 million project, following a contractual agreement with a group of long-term supporters.

Troubled energy giant Santos is axing another 200 jobs in a $100 million cost-cutting drive designed to slash debt as it battles sliding oil prices.

SPECIAL REPORT: The domgas market is going through a period of structural change, but history has lessons for those businesses that know where to look.

SPECIAL REPORT: As the energy construction boom winds down, policy makers must get the settings right to prepare for future investment, while energy players mull the best way to allocate scarce capital.

Leading local businesswomen Sharon Warburton and Vicki Krause have joined the board of the energy provider Western Power, replacing outgoing directors Paul Underwood and Sue Wilson.

Perth-based company Energy Made Clean has won a contract worth almost $4 million to build a battery storage system claimed to be the nation's biggest.

A clean energy technology developed at the University of Western Australia with funding from Wesfarmers is the driving force behind Hazer Group, which is looking to secure up to $5 million as it prepares to list on the Australian Securities Exchange later this year.

Transferring control of large swathes of WA's electricity market to the east-coast based national regulator has been welcomed by dominant market player Synergy.

Perth Basin energy producer Empire Oil & Gas has announced its first profit, on the back of improved operating performance and a strong cost control strategy.

Energy producer and retailer Origin Energy has unveiled nearly $5 billion worth of plans to help bolster its balance sheet.

Local IT company Empired has won a $12 million contract to provide managed services to Western Power under an initial three-year term.

Transerv Energy shares were up 23.5 per cent this morning after promising results from its Warro-5ST well, which showed deeper gas than had previously been found in the Warro onshore tight gas field.

Management consultant Accenture has become the latest contractor to win technology related operations work in the resources industry, this time for the provision of data analytics at Woodside's Pluto LNG facility.

GE's oil and gas division has won a contract with Chevron for provision of subsea services at the energy giant's offshore assets in Western Australia.

Claims of excessive prices have uncovered a deeper frustration surrounding aspects of WA's electricity market rules.

Three waste-to-energy projects have received environmental approval, while the state government has increased landfill levies.

WA's natural wave resources have made it home to three energy companies that have taken a collegial approach to developing the new technology.

SPECIAL REPORT: Business News looks at what's holding up and what's contributing to electricity price reductions, reviews the players in WA's wave energy and waste-to-energy industries and reports on allegations of market manipulation by a Synergy-owned business.

Downer has terminated its contract with Spanish construction company Tecnicas Reunidas on the Burrup ammonium nitrate project, joining a string of contractors to be hit by contractual disputes on big projects over the past year.

An Aboriginal organisation has become the first business in the Pilbara to go completely off-grid, finalising a deal to be reliant on solar power and batteries announced mid last-year.

Vanadium and uranium explorer Yellow Rock Resources has formed a new subsidiary with an unnamed local solar system installer to sell vanadium-based batteries in Australia.

Energy giant Woodside Petroleum is considering growth opportunities in Papua New Guinea, announcing today it was evaluating a takeover offer for Oil Search through an all-scrip deal valued at more than $11 billion.

The proposed developer of a 10-megawatt solar power station in South Fremantle has withdrawn from the project, citing issues with the market and the development site, which previously housed landfill.

Two former BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto engineers from the Wheatbelt officially launched a wave energy prototype in the Swan River today as part of a long-term plan to produce electricity at costs so low it will rival wind energy.