ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: WA's mining industry has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past quarter of a century, with iron ore replacing gold as the state's most valuable commodity.
Explosives manufacturer Incitec Pivot has reported a 34.8 per cent fall in profit for the year to September, including a $7 million hit from lost business in Western Australia.
The production ramp-up at iron ore miner Roy Hill Holdings has helped the company lift annual profit by 69 per cent, in turn boosting the annual earnings of its major shareholder, Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting.
The money-making power of Gina Rinehart's mining business has been abundantly demonstrated in the group's latest financial results, with her private company Hancock Prospecting lifting annual net profit 28 per cent to $1.37 billion.
Atlas Iron has announced a raft of board changes, including the appointment of former state government tourism boss Stephen Wood and National Australia Bank executive Spiro Pappas.
Henderson-based Civmec will start a maintenance services contract with iron ore miner Roy Hill Holdings next month, building on work it is undertaking for major players Rio Tinto, Alcoa of Australia and Fortescue Metals Group.
Osborne Park-based Georgiou Group has been awarded an $18.7 million contract to construct a privately-funded traffic bridge carrying Great Northern Highway over the Roy Hill rail line, located approximately 25 kilometres south-west of Port Hedland.
Curtin University has received $10.3 million in funding as part of the latest round of grants from the federal government's Australian Research Council, with the University of Western Australia awarded $6.6 million.
Roy Hill Holdings has introduced a staff profit scheme after achieving its 55mtpa production target and has confirmed its interest in expanding to 60mtpa.
Three weeks after acquiring a strategic blocking stake in Atlas Iron, Fortescue Metals Group has for the first time confirmed that its main interest in the takeover target is the rights to develop new berths at Port Hedland.
The battle for Atlas Iron has taken another twist after Fortescue Metals Group submitted an application to the Takeovers Panel questioning the veracity of the $390 million takeover offer by Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting.
Atlas Iron has disclosed it no longer holds exclusive port development rights at Port Hedland that were central to the takeover battle that has involved three mining heavyweights buying shares in the company.
Melbourne-based fertiliser and explosives manufacturers Incitec Pivot and Orica have continued their battle for iron ore contracts in the Pilbara, with Incitec winning a five-year supply deal with Fortescue Metals Group.
Iron ore miner Roy Hill has connected its Port Hedland operations to Horizon Power's North West Interconnected System following the installation of extensive underground facilities, which began in 2016.
Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting has acquired a 19.6 per cent shareholding in takeover target Atlas Iron, joining Mineral Resources and Fortescue Metals Group in the battle for control of the mid-cap iron ore miner.
A long-mooted port development at Lumsden Point adjacent to existing operations at Port Hedland has taken a step forward with the Pilbara Ports Authority opening expressions of interest for potential investors in the project.
Spanish-owned contractor Duro Felguera Australia, which is involved in multiple legal disputes arising from its work on big resources projects, has been ordered to set aside $20 million because of concerns it would not be able to pay potential claims.
A new utility-scale battery launched in the Pilbara by Alinta Energy today will be Australia's second biggest, behind Elon Musk's Tesla battery in South Australia.
SPECIAL REPORT: Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting and its subsidiary, Roy Hill Holdings, have moved to the top of the Business News annual ranking of private companies in Western Australia, as their surging revenue put them ahead of building company BGC Australia.
Melbourne-based fertiliser and explosives manufacturer Incitec Pivot has lost its second major Western Australian supply contract in two months, with iron ore miner Roy Hill to allow its purchase agreement to expire in February.
Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting Group more than doubled profit to $1.1 billion in the year to June, the highest level since 2011, with the company paying or providing for $767 million in dividends to the family.
Artificial intelligence has the potential to increase GDP growth by an additional 1.5 per cent per annum until 2035, according to research by consultancy Accenture.
SPECIAL REPORT: Mitsui & Company, Shell and Itochu Corporation are among a swag of businesses that have made substantial investments in the state's exporting industries over the decades, showing that foreign investors can contribute without directly operating assets.
SPECIAL REPORT: Roy Hill Holdings and Chevon have joined the likes of Rio Tinto, BHP, Woodside and CBH Group in an updated ranking of WA's largest exporters in the BNiQ Search Engine.
The state's largest iron ore mine Roy Hill hit its nameplate capacity for the first time last month, according to Roy Hill Holdings chief executive Barry Fitzgerald, while the exact cost of the project so far has been revealed.
About a third of the town of Port Hedland should be blocked from any new residential developments, the state government's dust management taskforce has recommended.
BHP has approved initial funding for its $3 billion-plus South Flank iron ore project in the Pilbara, and the company's top Australian executive said he wanted to hear from local suppliers who could add value to the development.
Iron ore dust in Port Hedland has cost the local economy around $60 million per annum, with an additional $216 million in one-off capital costs, according to a report released today commisoned by a local hotel opposing further expansion of BHP Billiton's port operations.
Hancock Prospecting is poised to become Western Australia's biggest private company after a investment and acquisition spree in iron ore and agribusiness which is expected some time this year to push its revenue past that of the incumbent number one for the past 12 years, home builder BGC. A 2018 reranking appears certain following research for the Business News Private Companies list published today in a special report.
A local insurance broker and a data analytics specialist have teamed up to offer grain growers the same kind of cover as energy companies and construction projects.
Altura Mining has followed the example of neighbouring lithium project developer, Pilbara Minerals, by purchasing a mothballed mine camp from Roy Hill Holdings.
Aspiring lithium miner Pilbara Minerals has agreed to purchase Roy Hill Holdings' dormant 300-person camp facility for use at its Pilgangoora project for an undisclosed sum.
With a number of WA's biggest businesses relying on unmanned drones to reduce surveying and inspection costs, new schools are teaching drone pilots how to fly.
The head contractor on the Roy Hill project has won two out of five determinations in the latest instalment in its legal dispute with sub-contractor Duro Felguera today, but Samsung C&T was still told to pay Duro $12 million out of more than $60 million that had been sought.
Falling private sector investment in heavy industry and electricity generation were major contributors to a big drop-off in total construction and engineering work in Western Australia in June, down 21.7 per cent quarter on quarter to $6.75 billion.
Brendon Grylls was something of a change-agent when he got the Royalties for Regions policy implemented, but his plan to tax iron ore tonnages has business worried.
ANALYSIS: Politics and business never mix well, which is something the state government is about to discover with news that former Nationals WA leader Brendon Grylls is eyeing a return to his party's top job.
