Allowing retailers to choose their opening hours and rethinking rules around tenancies, pop-ups, and approvals could help bring life back to Perth CBD.
Domestic gas users will benefit by as much as $241 million over five years under Australian Gas Infrastructure Group's latest pricing proposal for the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline.
Regulators will be considering moves to cut the amount thermal generators need to pay when the electricity market is oversupplied, as independent retailers warn they may soon need to charge customers for exporting solar energy into the grid.
An arbitration process has declared tier three rail lines in Western Australia's Wheatbelt are not economically viable, nearly a decade after industry groups and the state government agreed to shut the lines down.
Consumers have saved $7.5 billion through the Economic Regulation Authority's tight leash on major utilities, according to chair Nicky Cusworth, but work is needed to make the state's rules regime more effective.
An investigation of Synergy's bidding behaviour by the state's Economic Regulation Authority found the power generator may have breached pricing rules in nearly 13,000 half-hour trading intervals between March 2016 and July 2017.
Appointing a senior minister to manage reform of business licensing and sunset clauses would assist the state government control the proliferation of permits that tie-up enterprises, according to a review released today.
Wind and solar generation backed by storage are competitive with coal and gas, according to a recent report by the CSIRO, but that does not mean coal-fired generation will be out of the picture.
Alinta has received regulatory approval to build a transmission line linking the Roy Hill mine to Fortescue's Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek mines, a move that would enable the iron ore miner to continue its shift away from diesel power.
An overnight decision by the Economic Regulation Authority will put downward pressure on power prices, with network operator Western Power ordered to further tighten its belt in the next four years.
The state government appears to be continuing to back away from plans to introduce increased competition in electricity retailing, with Economics and Industry Committee chair Jessica Shaw saying she'd like to see more evidence it would reduce prices.
SPECIAL REPORT: About $3 billion of electricity projects are in the pipeline in WA, but technological change and regulatory pressure are creating investment uncertainty.
Gas users will save nearly $200 million over five years after the Australian Competition Tribunal dismissed a move by the owner of the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline to alter a pricing decision by the state's Economic Regulation Authority.
SPECIAL REPORT: The state government appears to be tacking away from using contracting in public services provision, but the work of Serco is an example of how private businesses can bring cutting-edge innovation into the space.
Securing union support for his bid to introduce competition into the local electricity retailing market will be a major test of Ben Wyatt's political and negotiating skills.
State-owned Western Power will need to trim operating costs by about $100 million more than planned over the next five years under the Economic Regulation Authority's latest draft access arrangements released last night.
Hundreds of occupational licences and permits are to be reviewed by the state government's key economic regulator, with the potential to save consumers tens of millions of dollars.
An east coast energy retailer backed by a French multinational will become the fifth player selling to consumers in the local gas market, after receiving approval by the Economic Regulation Authority today.
The number of electricity users disconnected for failing to pay bills increased around 60 per cent in Western Australia in the 2017 financial year, while more than 10,000 electricity users were on a hardship program, according to a report released by the Economic Regulatory Authority today.
The number of new gas and power connections in Western Australia fell in the year to June, an outcome of the slowing property development market, according to the Economic Regulation Authority.
Western Power plans to reduce spending by nearly $1 billion in the next five years compared to the five years just gone, according to a proposal by the state-owned network operator to the state's economic regulator.
About 1,300 jobs will be lost because of the state government's proposed increases to payroll tax, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA.
The McGowan government has announced the Wandoo minimum security prison will be returned to the public sector, despite an independent review this year finding private contractor Serco had met or exceeded expectations.
A further 4 per cent rise in metropolitan water usage charges will be needed for the 2019 financial year to ensure pricing is cost reflective, according to a draft report by the Economic Regulation Authority.
SPECIAL REPORT: As WA households benefit from increased competition in gas retailing, the electricity sector wants to be able to compete with Synergy in providing to small customers, with some industry members calling for a reduction in the contestability threshold to 20 megawatt hours.
Sydney-based AGL made its long-awaited entry to the Perth gas market this week, with price cuts and a range of customer incentives underpinning the company's offering as the sector's newest player in the domestic gas sector.
OPINION: Western Australia has always been different to the rest of the nation, and not often to its advantage, as the ongoing dispute over the GST demonstrates.
East coast-based companies AGL Energy and Origin Energy have received approval to enter Western Australia's domestic gas market, where they will join Wesfarmers subsidiary Kleenheat and Alinta Energy.
Hong Kong-based Brockman Mining has continued its run of legal victories in its efforts to gain access to Fortescue Metals Group's rail infrastructure.
Treasurer Mike Nahan has said encouraging private investment in the Pilbara electricity grid could reduce its excess capacity and also energy prices in the north west, at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia lunch today.
Department of State Development deputy director general, strategic policy Nicky Cusworth has been appointed chair of the Economic Regulation Authority for a five year term.
Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline owner-operator DBP says pricing for the gas transmission line set by the Economic Regulation Authority today won't be enough to earn a rate of return suitable for prevailing market conditions.
Legislation to enable regulation of Western Power to transition from WA's Economic Regulation Authority to the independent national energy regulator has been introduced to state parliament.
The state government has selected Sodexo as preferred operator of its new women's prison, adding to a string of big contract wins in Western Australia by the global facilities management company.
Two niche operators in Western Australia's electricity market have accused the state government of being more concerned with protecting its own interests than creating a truly competitive industry
