Infrastructure

Brockman Resources has gained environmental apporval for its Marillana iron ore project in the Pilbara, where the company aims to establish a 17 million tonne per year mining operation.

Environment Minister Donna Faragher has today approved the export of lead from Magellan Metals' Wiluna mine through the port of Fremantle.

BHP Billiton, Chevron, Rio Tinto, Woodside Petroleum and the North West Shelf Venture will collectively provide more than $5 million towards the Pilbara's health services as part of a partnership with the government.

WHEN you think of fortified wines your first reaction may be to recall fond memories of your grandma's favourite desserts, dripping with ample amounts of sherry or marsala.

Brockman Resources plans to start production at its Pilbara iron ore project by the end of 2012 after a study estimated capital costs at up to $1.35 billion.

Former Wesfarmers finance director Gene Tilbrook has today been appointed as one of five new directors to the board of NBN Co Limited, the company established to deliver the $43 billion national broadband network.

The competition watchdog has rejected port access arrangements proposed by grain handlers CBH Group, ABB and Graincorp, saying there needed to be more clarity and transparency for wheat exporters.

INVESTMENT in new infrastructure, and ensuring equitable and fair access to existing infrastructure are key issues that must be addressed if government is to encourage new mining investment, according to those at the WA Business News junior miners forum.

Sydney-based RIMCapital has written off its investment in unlisted company Yilgarn Infrastructure Ltd, which was the unsuccessful bidder for the development of the Oakajee deepwater port and associated rail project.

The state government has conditionally agreed to build part of a major power line in the Mid West after it omitted the upgrade in this year's budget due to a substantial cost blow-out.

Macmahon Holdings has been awarded a $60 million contract by the Ulan Line Alliance for rail construction work as part of plans for increased coal output in the Hunter Valley.

THE tough conditions experienced by developers during the past six months have been reflected in half-yearly results, with major property developers Australand and Port Bouvard announcing significant losses.

Karratha should be an obligatory destination for Western Australians who want to understand their state.

While well placed to ride out the downturn, Australia still has work to do.

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.

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.

A federal government review of the former Labor Party's Grain Infrastructure Group report has found the information did not provide a reliable base to make major investment decisions on the state's grain rail network, Transport Minister Simon O'Brien says

Gindalbie Metals says its 50 per cent owned pellet plant in China will not be made redundant if its project partner, AnSteel, goes ahead with plans to build the state's first steel mill in Oakajee.

Premier Colin Barnett's mission to include China in the development of the Oakajee port and rail project has prompted an outcry from the local steel industry, which has appealed to the opposition for help.

Shares in Murchison Metals have surged as much as 24 per cent today after the miner clarified the extent of talks with China over the Oakajee port and rail project.

Shares in Murchison Metals have been placed in a trading halt pending confirmation of construction contracts for the Oakajee port and associated rail, which are to be awarded to two Chinese firms.

Power provision is a major challenge for Western Australia.

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

PART of the third stage of the contentious Pretty Pool development at Port Hedland has been stalled by the environmental watchdog, which ruled it threatened a nesting site for flatback turtles.

Property developer Port Bouvard has booked a $29 million net loss for the 2009 financial year which includes a more than $30 million asset impairment charge as a result of a weakening property market.

The state government has committed more than $6 million towards upgrades at 30 regional airports across Western Australia.

The Economic Regulation Authority has knocked back Western Power's request to allow big increases in the price it charges for access to the state's main electricity grid for the next three years.

Opposition energy spokesman Mark McGowan today called on the state government to end 10 months of uncertainty surrounding the possible re-merger of Verve Energy and Synergy.

STATE Energy Minister Peter Collier has denied the government is preparing to abandon Premier Colin Barnett's mooted re-amalgamation of Verve Energy with Synergy.

The company in charge of the billion-dollar Oakajee deepwater port and rail network has appointed WorleyParsons to conduct the budget and engineering components of the $100 million bankable feasibility study.

WESTERN Australia's business community has given cautious approval to initiatives proposed at last week's Council of Australian Government (Coag) meeting, aimed at streamlining the approvals process for taxpayer-assisted major infrastructure developments.