Mining

Thirty Western Australian mining services companies were in Indonesia last week for the annual Ozmine Conference, which aims to align Australian suppliers with the Indonesian mining industry, delivering positive results for those involved.

COMMODITY exports are forecast to fall by 17 per cent in the 2010 financial year but farm export earnings are tipped to rise over the next two years, a report for the nation's commodities forecaster says.

THE changing face of Perth's jazz music scene was highlighted this month by the approval of redevelopment plans for one historic venue coinciding with the opening of another.

CHEVRON says it is a step closer to commercialising its Wheatstone project after exploration of two natural gas fields showed there were enough resources to support a two-train development.

Mining and the environment have been lifelong passions for prospector Denis O' Meara

CHINESE company CITIC Pacific Mining is doing more than its fair share to counter the downturn in mining and construction jobs in Western Australia, announcing that the peak workforce on its Sino Iron project will peak at a larger than expected 4,000 peop

Dozens of mining companies are at risk of operating illegally after failing to comply with new security guidelines covering the handling of explosives.

Eight mining deals done in Western Australia have featured in the top 250 deals completed globally in 2008 as the value of transactions in the country fell 11 per cent.

Mirabela Nickel has secured a $US150 million ($A238 million) facility from a consortium of lenders to fund development works at its Santa Rita nickel project in Brazil.

Shares in Catalpa Resources have jumped as high as 56 per cent as the company executes a $67.5 million project financing deal with Macquarie Bank and plans to launch a $30 million capital raising.

Chinese company Sinosteel has formally become a substantial holder in Mid West iron ore miner Murchison Metals.

Perth-based Tasman Resources has demanded that former joint venture partner WCP Resources pay $713,848 after it declared force majeure on the Lake Torrens project in South Australia.

Shares in Albidon have slumped as much as 43 per cent as the nickel miner places its Munali operation on care and maintenance and lays off some 350 employees and contractors.

Commodity exports are forecast to fall by 17 per cent in the 2010 financial year but farm export earnings are expected to rise over the next two years, a report for the nation's commodities forecaster says.

Two Japanese companies will buy into the Lake Maitland uranium project in Western Australia after owner Mega Uranium sold a 35 per cent stake for $77 million.

Mount Gibson Iron has booked a $13.3 million half-year net profit amid a deteriorating iron ore environment.

Write-downs totaling $17.6 million and a sharp fall in the nickel price has resulted in Panoramic Resources reporting an $8.6 million loss for the half-year.

BURSWOOD Entertainment Complex has become the first major Western Australian employer to sign up to the Australian Employment Covenant, a scheme designed to provide 50,000 jobs for indigenous Australians.

TWO peak mining industry bodies have applauded the state government's announcement of an $80 million minerals exploration incentive, to be delivered over four years.

Drilling contractor Ausdrill has delivered a record net profit after tax of $25 million for the first half of fiscal 2009, up 52 per cent on the previous corresponding period.

Woodside Petroleum says it will issue $US1 billion in corporate bonds in the United States in a bid to repay short term debt and for capital expenditure.

Chevron Corporation says it is a step closer to commercialising its Wheatstone project after exploration of two natural gas fields showed there were enough resources to support a two-train development.

A company that acts as an agent for emerging Chinese steel mills has signed a deal with explorer Epsilon Energy over the Mardie iron ore project in the Pilbara.

Fortescue Metals Group has warned it could take at least a $US171 million ($A264 million) hit from suspended shipping contracts but says talks with Chinese entities for equity investment and a hybrid funding package are progressing.

Nickel miner Independence Group's net profit has slumped 99.7 per cent to $123,000 as it takes a hit from falling commodity prices and a $9.1 million write down in listed investments.

South Perth-based Oropa is set to capitalise on the burgeoning gold market by re-focusing its activities towards the precious metal and rationalising its non-gold assets.

Crescent Gold is set to re-start operations at its Laverton gold mine after signing an offtake agreement with Barrick Gold.

Investors have swamped Subiaco-based Allied Gold's capital raising which closed oversubscribed having raised nearly $31 million.

PetroChina Co will reportedly buy a further 2 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas each year from the Gorgon project after it signed a deal with co-owner ExxonMobil.

Perth-based Clough has secured a $116 million contract for works at the Montara oil project in the Timor Sea from a Thai company, which less than two months ago bought Coogee Resources.

Fortescue Metals Group has gone into a trading halt pending an announcement about a capital raising.

Vietnam opened its first oil refinery on Sunday after more than a decade of delays, with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung declaring the complex vital for "national energy security".