Mining

Perth-based explorer Kula Gold says it could save $US25 million, or 27 per cent, on the cost of building its Woodlark Island gold project in Papua New Guinea if done so in the current economic environment.

Kalgoorlie-based mining contractor Hampton Transport Services has won a contract for haulage work at Empire Resources' Penny's Find gold mine for an undisclosed sum.

Rio Tinto chairman Jan du Plessis has confirmed he will retire from his post, ending a term of more than eight years at the head of the Anglo-Australian miner, to become chairman of UK telco giant BT Group.

Macmahon Holdings' second-largest shareholder, Forager Funds Management, has increased its stake in the Perth company by securing $10.6 million worth of shares.

OPINION: Whoever wins Saturday's election must know that state debt is too high.

Woodside Petroleum executive Jeroen Buren has been named acting president of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia, filling the role left vacant by Brian Reilly, who has moved to Canada to take on a new role with Cameco.

BHP Billiton has reaffirmed its optimistic view on oil markets as it seeks to invest further in the sector amid a steady recovery in prices.

Junior explorer AVZ Minerals has become subject to Supreme Court action after a Mauritius-based private resources investment firm claimed ownership of a lithium deposit in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which AVZ said last month it would be acquiring a major stake in.

Infrastructure and mining services group Downer has agreed to buy New Zealand builder Hawkins for an undisclosed sum, as it expands operations in the Pacific nation.

Lithium Australia's $23.8 million takeover bid for rival Lepidico appears to be heading for rejection, with the target company not confident about the operational methods of Lithium's core asset.

The Takeovers Panel has declined to look into construction giant CIMIC Group's claim that takeover target Macmahon Holdings' target statement was misleading and deceptive.

Subiaco-based Lucapa Diamond Company has sold $9.1 million of alluvial diamonds from its Lulo operation in Angola, bringing its total sales from that site to more than $100 million.

Mining giant Rio Tinto will hold back all outstanding performance-related pay of previous chief executive Sam Walsh for at least two years, until investigations into a payments scandal in West Africa are more advanced.

Mining services business Ausdrill has won a $70 million extension to its contract for work at Peabody Energy Corporation's coal mines on the east coast.

Gold miner Red 5 has revealed the financial extent of having to temporarily shut down its Siana mine operations, today flagging a $70 million impairment in its half-year accounts.

Spanish-controlled CIMIC Group has stood its ground over its Macmahon Holdings takeover play, telling the market today it would not lift its offer price despite the target entering into a counter-agreement with an Indonesian miner.

BC Iron is branching out of its iron ore focus by spending up to $10.5 million as part of a joint venture with freshly listed sulphate of potash explorer Kalium Lakes.

CIMIC Group's takeover bid for mining services provider Macmahon Holdings has become more complicated after Macmahon signed a heads of agreement that could give Indonesian miner Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara a 44 per cent stake in the company.

Kidman Resources has bought two lithium tenements from nickel miner Western Areas in a $6 million all-scrip deal, while Lithium Australia has signed a memorandum for a joint venture in Germany.

Southern Cross Electrical Engineering expects to bounce back from a net loss in the first half of the 2017 financial year after announcing the “transformational” acquisition of a Sydney-based electrical contractor.

Shares in mining and civil contractor Brierty have tumbled 23 per cent today despite the company announcing a $3.8 million net profit for the six months to December, which the company said was above guidance.

Osborne Park-based heavy equipment supplier Emeco Holdings has reduced its first-half net loss after tax by around 70 per cent, to $31.3 million for the six months to December.

Iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has denied media reports stating it had lodged a $1 billion-plus offer for Wesfarmers' Curragh coal mine in Queensland.

SPECIAL REPORT: Contractors face hurdles as they bid for work with major companies, and suggest a more open approach might bring benefits.

SPECIAL REPORT: Klen International's work in the gold sector offers a valuable insight into how Western Australian companies are taking the expertise from the state's resources industry and developing it well beyond the mine pit.

Local explorers Lithium Australia and Lepidico have settled an intellectual property dispute on mutual grounds, with the terms undisclosed.

SPECIAL REPORT: Eight years after HiSeis was spun out from Curtin University, executive chairman Don Pridmore believes its use of seismic technology in mineral exploration is starting to gain traction.

SPECIAL REPORT: Strong employment growth in the gold sector partially compensated for job losses in iron ore in the 2016 financial year, according to recently released data from the Department of Mines and Petroleum.

Perth-based GR Engineering Services has kept performance up despite trying times in the mining sector, with profit and revenue slightly lower for the December half-year.

SPECIAL REPORT - MINING SERVICES: Higher commodity prices and investment to maintain iron ore volumes could help lift mining contractors out of the doldrums after several tough years. Click through to see this and links to four other feature stories.

Macmahon Holdings has called out CIMIC Group for what it says is a low-ball takeover bid, saying the Spanish-controlled company should be aware of the improving market for mining services.

National hire equipment supplier Kennards Hire has acquired a Belmont-based company that offers similar services for an undisclosed sum.