Mining

Northern Star Resources expects to almost double its annual gold production to more than 200,000 ounces following its $25 million purchase of the Plutonic gold mine from Barrick Gold.

Subiaco-based Paringa Resources has tasked a new leadership team with guiding the company, with founding directors David Griffiths and David Chapman stepping down from their respective roles as chairman and managing director.

Woodside Petroleum's partners in the Leviathan gas project in Israel have signed a deal to sell $1.2 billion worth of gas to the Palestine Power Generation Company for 20 years.

Shares in West Perth-based explorer Red Mountain Mining have soared on the back of another high-grade gold discovery at its Batangas project in the Philippines.

Woodside Petroleum says it will push ahead with plans to jointly sell gas from its proposed Browse project despite a Japanese partner terminating a purchase deal last week.

Contractor Viento Group plans to broaden its range of services with the purchase of Hazelmere-based switchroom manufacturer HVLV in a prospective deal worth up to $21 million.

Energy giant Chevron has received conditional approval to clear an additional 32 hectares of land on Barrow Island for the construction of Australia's largest gas project.

Forge Group shares have recovered ground following a horror month of trading, with the contractor announcing it has been given the green light to proceed with $830 million of engineering works at the Roy Hill iron ore project.

The Department of Mines and Petroleum has warned Fortescue Metals Group to improve safety procedures at its Christmas Creek mine in the wake of a second fatality at the site last month.

Shares in Altona Mining are higher after the company said it had made an early $11 million debt repayment following strong copper production results in Finland.

Trident Subsea Cable has enlisted contractor Ausdrill to help it build a fibre optic telecommunications network between Perth and the Pilbara.

Empire Oil & Gas' new management team has taken the company's former directors to court in a bid to recover funds used to bankroll defamation proceedings against Empire shareholders.

Centaurus Metals has scaled back development plans at its Jambreiro iron ore project in Brazil, announcing it will halve its initial production rate to one million tonnes per annum in a bid to keep the project on track.

Shares in Talisman Mining have soared after Sandfire Resources agreed to farm into the explorer's copper-gold projects in the Bryah Basin.

The $10 billion Roy Hill project has received a funding boost, with the Export-Import Bank of the United States approving a $US694 million loan to purchase American-made mining equipment.

Oil prices rose as investors concluded that the Federal Reserve's move to trim stimulus was a sign of the improving US economy.

Ausenco has been awarded an engineering and project support services contract at the Karara iron ore operations in the Mid West.

A disability discrimination claim has been lodged against BHP Billiton and its contractor Carey Mining on behalf of a deaf man who alleges he was unlawfully sacked while working in a Western Australian mine site.

Legal action has been launched against engineering services firm WorleyParsons following a profit downgrade by the company.

Engineering contractor Monadelphous Group has secured oil and gas contract extensions worth a combined $100 million.

Woodside has for the first time confirmed the high cost of its shelved James Price Point gas project, though the figure it has released is not directly comparable to the construction cost estimates for other LNG developments like Chevron’s larger Gorgon development on Barrow Island.

Eden Energy will continue to wait to sell its entire UK coal seam methane and shale gas portfolio for up to £11.5 million ($21 million), due to UK-based buyer Shale Energy failing to complete a £7 million capital raising for the purchase.

McAleese Resources, a subsidiary of McAleese Group, has been awarded a four year, $250 million iron ore haulage contract for Atlas Iron’s Mt Webber mine in the Pilbara.

Engineering and construction business Decmil Group has won a $147 million contract for work on the expansion of the Manus Island detention centre, taking its total awarded work at the centre to $284 million.

Australian engineering group UGL has been awarded a five-year multi-million dollar contract to maintain energy giant Chevron's Western Australia gas assets.

Perth-based miner Pacifico Minerals has entered an agreement with Miguel Angel Perez Villa to acquire up to a 90 per cent interest over three years of its share of the Berrio gold deposit in Antioquia, Colombia.

Perth-based gold explorer Primary Gold will raise up to $2.4 million for its Toms Gully mine at the Mt Bundy gold project in the Northern Territory with its appointed lead manager Patersons Securities to underwrite up to $1 million to the rights issue.

Bulletin Resources has enlisted its major shareholder Matsa Resources to acquire up to a 75 per cent interest for its Halls Creek gold projects in a $4.4 million binding term sheet.

Downer EDI has been awarded an $80 million contract for electrical work at Rio Tinto's Yandicoogina iron ore mine in the Pilbara.

Forge Group shares have risen on news it has secured a $40 million contract, helping to repair an 80 per cent single-day nose dive in late November when it announced a $127 million profit writedown on two power stations.

Leighton Holdings subsidiary Thiess has won a $570 million four-year contract extension on a coal mine owned by Wesfarmers.

BHP Billiton will slash up to 200 jobs after closing its underground nickel mine in Western Australia due to safety fears.