Cliffs Natural Resources

Two major rail freight operators are pursuing growth opportunites in WA’s mining sector.

Huge potential could be added to WA’s export terminals capacity over the next decade.

BGC Contracting has won a three-and-a-half year extension to its mining contract at Atlas Iron’s Wodgina iron ore mine in the Pilbara.Perth-based BGC said the contract has been extended to February 2016 and is worth $350 million in revenue over this period.

IRON ore producers in the state’s Yilgarn region are not immune from the hurdles facing producers in the Pilbara and Mid West – port capacity and access issues, transportation and infrastructure – but the state government’s intention to expand Esperance port could pave the way for the region to b

Terry Streeter’s Fox Resources has entered an agreement to purchase a series of coal tenements in Queensland for $2.5 million in cash and shares.

WA has increased its lead as the country’s largest exporter, but the rate of growth has slowed.

Iron ore miners in the Pilbara are on track to reach production and shipping targets, despite bad weather hampering operations and affecting some December quarter results.

BGC Contracting has joined forces with Western Australian business FIFO Families to offer its 2,000 fly-in, fly-out workers and their families access to extra support.

Struggling Perth-based mineral explorer Pluton Resources has announced it intends to raise about $80 million through the issue of about 8 billion shares.

Western Australia is once again the key player in a money flood, though this time it’s outgoing rather than incoming.

Iron ore prices may have softened significantly from about $US130 a tonne during the past year, but that has not stopped local miners ramping up exports.

FEATURE: Having gained notoriety in the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire, the phrase ‘show me the money’ will be heard often, and loudly, in business in Western Australia in coming years as capital inflows become capital outflows and funds become harder-than-ever to raise.

Colin Williams has been appointed chief operating officer at Roy Hill, following his resignation in June as senior vice-president Asia Pacific Iron Ore at Cliffs Natural Resources.

The big get bigger and the small get crushed.

As the iron ore majors ramp up production, Fortescue Metals Group has an ace up its sleeve.

The financial incentives for higher cost mid-tier miners to either share infrastructure or merge is at an all-time high, according to accounting firm EY.

Iron ore rivals BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are united in their forecast more high-cost producers will leave the market, but have stopped short of predicting how Western Australia’s higher-cost producers will fare over time.

You don’t need to listen too closely to hear the pips squeaking in Western Australia’s iron ore lemon after a week-long debate about the state’s most important industry, which appears to be heading for a crisis that will hit companies and governments in equal measure.

As grim as the iron ore outlook appears for some of WA’s smaller miners, the state government, too, stands to lose out amid the sector’s upheaval.

SPECIAL REPORT: Earnings for the state from the powerhouse minerals and energy industries have softened, but agriculture, among other sectors, will create opportunities. Business News also takes an in depth look at Bunbury port, where a big expansion plan needs community backing and solid regional demand growth.

One of the state’s largest mining services companies has received a boost, with BGC Contracting securing a five-year contract extension worth $520 million at Cliffs Natural Resources' Koolyanobbing iron ore mine.

The consumer watchdog has sought further information from miner Fortescue Metals Group on its proposed tie-up with Brazilian iron ore giant Vale.

A fuel supply system at Rio Tinto’s Cape Lambert port and work on a loading jetty at Ichthys’s Darwin LNG facilities are among $140 million of contracts recently won by Monadelphous.

Iron ore shipments contributed more than $45 billion to the Western Australian economy in the 12 months to June, a figure well down on last year, according to BNiQ, despite a pick-up in volumes by the state’s major producers.

The Environmental Protection Authority has recommended approval of global miner Cliffs Natural Resources’ plans to extend its Koolyanobbing iron ore operations, as Mineral Resources continues to seek approval for its own expansion plans in the same region.

Iron ore producers have maintained their dominance over the BNiQ Search Engine Biggest Exporters list, as LNG producers are slow to start up. Click through to see the annual list of the state's biggest exporting companies.