BHP Billiton has given the go-ahead to a $US152 million ($A177 million) investment to enhance the processing of ore at its Mount Keith nickel operation in the eastern Goldfields.
A lift in business confidence has driven expectations that Western Australia's economy will strengthen early next year, an inaugural index by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry shows.
Western Australia's unemployment rate has recorded the largest drop in August compared to other states while the nation's jobless rate remains steady at a seasonally adjusted 5.8 per cent, new figures show.
Development of BHP Billiton's $1 billion Macedon domestic gas project off Exmouth has moved closer, following the formal start of front end engineering and design work.
Paladin Energy says it has received strong institutional support for its $419 million share placement, which will be used to fund acquisitions and expand its Langer Heinrich uranium mine in Namibia.
Electricity sector expert Peter Oates has recommended a string of changes to electricity market rules and the contracts between generator Verve Energy and retailer Synergy to stem Verve's ongoing financial weakness and encourage investment in the sector.
DESPITE the resilience of the Western Australian resources sector, underpinned by the imminent boom in LNG development, the past 12 months have been particularly difficult for many companies.
AFTER decades in the doldrums under the weight of political obstacles, Western Australia's nascent uranium sector is poised to become a significant player on the world stage.
ON top of the $93 billion in major resources projects under way, a number of spin-off developments are planned to take advantage of the long-term growth in Western Australia's resources sector.
A STOCK exchange listing is off the agenda, but Perth property developer Nigel Satterley is creating a corporate structure that will ensure his Satterley Group stays in business long after he is gone.
THE port of Fremantle is undergoing a massive facelift as a $250 million harbour-deepening project brings the facility up to date to cater for much larger vessels.
The Western Australian Trade Opportunities Service is operated by the International Trade Centre of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia.
IT will have been a busy week at the headquarters of LandCorp with the state's development agency playing host to pitches from the short-listed developers for the Alkimos project 50 kilometres north of Perth.
BOUTIQUE developer Qube Property Group has continued to defy market trends, with 27 projects currently under way throughout Perth with a book value of more than $1.5 billion.
THE Small Business Development Corporation has received $2 million for a business resilience program, designed to provide hands-on training, support and guidance to small business operators.
THE introduction of new retail space in Perth's CBD has afforded high-end fashion retailers the opportunity to establish a Western Australian presence.
THE local office at newly formed Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has been given a mandate to ramp-up its private client adviser numbers, as Perth's broking sector settles into its new look.
PERTH-BASED Energy Resourcing Australia supplies a range of innovative contracting service and recruitment solutions to a customer base that includes some of the world's leading companies.
THE state government needs to increase the number of partnerships with the not-for-profit sector with an emphasis on improving access to funding, according to EON Foundation chair Caroline de Mori.
WHEN the powers that be at Wesfarmers were mulling over the CV of Diane Smith-Gander before appointing her to their board, they must have thought how opportune it would have been to have her as a director two years earlier.
THE sister of Perth investor Farooq Khan has emerged as a substantial shareholder in investment firm Bentley Capital, as agitators that sought his removal from the board disperse.
Synergy should be privatised, Verve's market share should be less than 30 per cent and government should play a minimal role. That is what the energy market should look like in 10 years.
After a rollercoaster 12 months, the iron ore industry is again showing signs of the rapid growth that made it the powerhouse of the state's economy before the global financial meltdown.
