Mining

New BHP Billiton chairman Ken MacKenzie has backed his chief executive's performance and cautioned activist shareholders that the board will ultimately determine the company's direction.

NRW Holdings has announced it has recently won $57 million worth of contracts through its Action Drill & Blast subsidiary, for work on five coal mines on the east coast.

Gold miner Northern Star Resources has posted a comfortable quarterly result, with funds committed to expand production beyond its 2018 output target of 600,000 ounces per annum.

Sheffield Resources has announced plans to spin-out its gold and base metals assets into a separate entity and list it on the ASX, as it progresses development of its flagship Thunderbird mineral sands project.

Aspiring gold miner Gascoyne Resources has tapped NRW Holdings for a $300 million mining services contract at its Dalgaranga project in Western Australia, while NRW's managing director has received a boost to his salary.

South32 shares have dipped after the diversified miner warned it may be facing cost pressures from rising raw material input costs and a weaker US dollar.

David Flanagan-led graphite explorer Battery Minerals has slashed the development cost of its Montepuez project in Mozambique by two-thirds, as the company restructures its plans for the operation.

Sheffield Resources has mandated finance group Taurus to arrange a $US200 million ($A255 million) debt facility for development of its Thunderbird mineral sands project, and also named GR Engineering Services as its preferred contractor.

Newcrest Mining will spend $93 million this quarter to expand its Telfer gold mine in Western Australia, after the state government was last week forced to abandon its planned gold royalty increase.

Mining giant Rio Tinto and two top former executives have been charged with fraud by US market regulators for allegedly inflating the value of an African coal business that cost the company a $2.9 billion write-down.

BHP Billiton has reaffirmed its full-year production guidance for all its commodities despite posting softer quarterly production for iron ore and copper.

Copper-gold explorer Bryah Resources has wrapped up its first day of trading on the ASX, after completing a $5 million initial public offering.

Rio Tinto says it lifted third quarter iron ore shipments from its Pilbara operations by slightly more than expected on the back of an improvement in rail capacity and performance.

SPECIAL REPORT: Mitsui & Company, Shell and Itochu Corporation are among a swag of businesses that have made substantial investments in the state's exporting industries over the decades, showing that foreign investors can contribute without directly operating assets.

SPECIAL REPORT: Ten lithium projects under construction or in advanced planning to bring new lithium supply onto the market will dramatically boost exports of the commodity in coming years.

SPECIAL REPORT: Roy Hill Holdings and Chevon have joined the likes of Rio Tinto, BHP, Woodside and CBH Group in an updated ranking of WA's largest exporters in the BNiQ Search Engine.

Gold-focused Evolution Mining has lifted production and cut costs in the September quarter, helped by a strong performance at its Cowal mine in NSW and Ernest Henry and Mt Carlton mines in Queensland, coupled with the sale of its Edna May mine in Western Australia.

Mining contractor Barminco has reported a $98.7 million net loss for the 12 months to June, with contract issues during the year partially offset by improved performance in its Africa-focused joint venture.

US company Tronox has gained state government backing for the development of two mineral sands mines north of Perth, to support its value-added manufacturing operations at Kwinana.

Aspiring lithium miner Lepidico has attracted backing from Galaxy Resources as part of a $7 million capital raising, while Northern Minerals and Musgrave Resources have tapped their respective investors for a combined $7 million.

Perth-based New Century Resources has locked in a $58 million debt facility agreement with investment firm Sprott, to fund the restarting of operations at its Century zinc mine in Queensland.

Premier Mark McGowan says the Liberal Party has been grossly irresponsible by voting to block the gold royalty hike and is urging them to reverse the decision.

A consortium that includes local investment group Viburnum has acquired Queensland-based MPC Group, formerly known as Murphy Pipe and Civil Group, for an undisclosed sum.

Treasurer Ben Wyatt has lashed the opposition for not backing the proposed gold royalty hike, which is now set to fail in parliament, claiming the Liberal Party has opposed more than $1 billion in budget repair measures.

Local explorer Riversgold has begun trading on the ASX after raising $6.1 million from investors by way of an initial public offer.

Takeover target Aphrodite Gold has flagged an impairment charge of up to $19 million against its self-titled gold project near Kalgoorlie, but says it will not affect the value of its all-scrip merger with Perth-based Spitfire Materials.

Subiaco-based Lucapa Diamond Company has secured a $US15 million ($A19 million) debt financing facility for development of its Mothae project in Lesotho, southern Africa.

The Environmental Protection Authority has recommended approval of Sheffield Resources' Thunderbird mineral sands project in the Kimberley, subject to a number of strict conditions.

Local resources executive Vanessa Guthrie has been appointed to the board of uranium explorer Vimy Resources as a nominated representative of fund manager Resource Capital Funds.

An Indonesian consortium has announced its intention to make an off-market takeover bid for copper miner Finders Resources, with the all-cash deal valuing the target at about $177 million.

Lithium-focused Altura Mining has raised $26 million from investors as it prepares for a second-stage development of its flagship project in the Pilbara.

A joint venture between local junior explorers Conico and Barra Resources is positive on a released scoping study for its Mt Thirsty cobalt-nickel project near Norseman, which is expected to cost $212 million to develop.