Archived News for Industry Professionals

The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) has criticized the Federal Government’s carbon policy for failing to protect Australia’s gas export industry.

Chief Executive of APPEA, Belinda Robinson, said the export gas industry rejects the label of ‘big polluter’ when for every tonne of emissions produced in liquefying natural gas, up to nine and a half tonnes are removed from the atmosphere when substituted for coal in customer countries.

“Whether used in Australia or exported, gas has a big part to play in reducing global emissions and there is no rational reason for a policy that sees Australian gas use increase but exports constrained.

Peculiar Knob becomes SA's 17th approved mine

WPG Resources’ Iron Ore mine at Peculiar Knob is to become South Australia’s 17th approved mine.

$1.3 billion support package for coal industry

A $1.3 billion package has been announced as part of the Federal Government's carbon price plan to support companies with high levels of fugutive emissions in the mining process. However, coal mining companies will not be eligible for free emissions permits that have been promised other energy-intensive, trade-exposed industries.

2011 WA Environment Awards nominations now open

UGL secures $400 million in new resources contracts

UGL Limited has announced that it has secured new works and contract extensions with a range of blue chip customers in the oil and gas, coal and alumina
sectors. These works have a total end value of approximately $400 million, distributed between new works and contract extensions.

Victoria leads as petroleum industry investment opportunity

The 2011 Fraser Institute Global Petroleum Survey has ranked the commercial environment in Victoria for the petroleum industry as the best in Australia and the fourth-best in the world.

Victoria also scored strongly in the key index of the survey measuring how attractive jurisdictions are for investment in the upstream oil and gas industry, ranking 19th out of 136 global jurisdictions for its lack of barriers to investment.

The Fraser Institute surveyed 478 of the world's top oil and gas companies who together accounted for more than 60 per cent of upstream oil and gas exploration expenditure last year.

The survey result comes in the wake of recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) which found there were $4.6 billion worth of oil and gas projects either confirmed or under construction across Victoria.

A link to the Fraser Institue report is here .

WA targets local industry participation in resource projects

The WA Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien has announced a ‘10-step framework’ designed to improve channels of communication between suppliers and project proponents and to ensure the State has a more complete picture of what benefits resource projects bring to WA.

LNG industry hamstrung by skills shortages

Australia’s skills shortage is a major constraint on the growth of the liquefied natural gas industry, according to Macquarie Private Wealth.

Beach to increase Parsons reserves

Beach Energy has successfully encountered a six metre oil column at the Parsons-5 development well in the Cooper Basin Western Flank.

FMC Technologies to supply subsea systems for Shell's Prelude Project

FMC technologies has been awarded a contract to supply subsea production and associated topside systems to Shell’s Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) facility at the Prelude Gas Field off Australia’s north west coast.

Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics begins operation

The new Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE) has begun operations as an independent research unit within the Federal resources, energy and tourism portfolio.

Downer EDI wins $50 million Rio Iron Ore contract

Downer EDI has won a $50 million contract for work at Rio Tinto's Warramboo project in the Pilbara.

Greens and industry gulf widens

The dispute between the Federal Greens and the mining industry has intensified after the party urged a debate on measures to slow down the $65.3 billion iron ore sector according to an article published the Australian Financial Review.

Native title agreement signed off for Woodside's Browse Basin LNG project

The Western Australian Government has finallised agreements with the Goolarabooloo Jabirr Jabirr native title claimant group and Woodside Energy Ltd to secure access to land at James Price Point, north of Broome, for the establishment of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) precinct to process gas from the Browse Basin Gas reserves.

Icthys Browse Basin gas project given green light

The Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has approved Inpex's Ichthys Browse Basin project, including a gas field facility, pipeline and processing facility, under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999, subject to environmental conditions

Innovative coal to diesel plan announced

Petroleum and minerals explorer, Central Petroleum Ltd, and Allied Resource Partners (ARP) have announced agreement to undertake a feasibility study on a $7.5 billion plan to convert coal deposits in the Pedirka Basin in Central Australia to diesel by gasification.

Jupiter begins feasibility study on $1.6B Mount Ida Magnetite Project

Jupiter Mines has commenced a feasibility study on its A$1.6 billion Mount Ida Magnetite Project in the Central Yilgarn region of Western Australia.

Rio Tinto buys Riversdale, appoints new chief

Australian mining Giant Rio Tinto has completed its $4 billion acquisition of Riversdale Mining after the compulsory acquisition of the remaining Riversdale shares was announced. The purchase of Riversdale Mining will significantly expand Rio's operations in Mozambique.