Mining

Australia's biggest resources companies will continue to enjoy the support of a conservative state government, industry commentators say.

Nickel miner Western Areas has secured $125 million in debt finance after revising its loan facility with ANZ.

Barrick Australia's Julie Shuttleworth has celebrated International Women's Day in style, having been named Women in Resources champion by the Chamber of Minerals and Energy.

Mermaid Marine managing director Jeff Weber has picked up $4.5 million worth of the company's shares through the exercise of incentive options.

Phosphate miner Minbos Resources has secured $5.5 million in debt finance to boost working capital as it continues its search for a cornerstone investor to back its African projects.

Woodside Petroleum has played down suggestions that its gas project in Israel is under threat as it faces regulatory hurdles.

Global miner BHP Billiton has rejected allegations that it manipulated the iron ore market, saying it seeks to improve transparency in its trade with China.

Green power utility Enerji Limited has announced a new agreement with an unnamed major Australian resources firm to install its waste heat-to-power system at an operating gold mine.

Rail operator Aurizon has signed a deal to haul up to 65 million tonnes of coal a year from the Queensland mines of BM Alliance Coal Operations and BHP Billiton Mitsui Coal.

The federal government should use its powers to override state counterparts and stop some approvals for coal and coal seam gas mining, an environmental lobby group says.

Western Australian listed companies have shrugged off mixed commodity price moves to gain value in February, according to new research.

Construction and engineering contractor Decmil Group has extended its reach into the oil and gas sector with the announcement of a $25 million contract win with Royal Dutch Shell.

ConocoPhillips' Australian head has warned domestic gas reservation policies and anti-industry activism could threaten the development of a viable market in Western Australia.

Copper producer, Aditya Birla Minerals has halted operations at its Birla Mt Gordon site blaming poor production performance, uncertain economic conditions and a weaker copper price for the decisio

Nickel explorer Sirius Resources is suddenly worth more than established miners Western Areas and Perseus Mining after new drilling results triggered another spectacular run-up in its share price.

Shares in GR Engineering have jumped on the ASX this morning, after the company announced a £75 million ($111 million) contract with Wolf Minerals at the Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in England.

Shares in iron ore hopeful Flinders Mines have risen after it struck a deal with four Chinese steel mills that brings its mine closer to reality.

A legal challenge against the federal government's mineral resources rent tax has started in the High Court with lawyers for miner Andrew Forrest arguing the controversial impost breaches the

Three WA-based oil and gas juniors have entered separate agreements collectively worth nearly $230 million with Hong Kong-based investment house Canadian Pan Ocean, covering the highly-prospective

Engineering group Parsons Brinckerhoff has signed on as a project management consultant at Gina Rinehart's $10 billion Roy Hill iron ore development in the Pilbara.

Global oil and gas heavyweight BP is keeping tight-lipped about whether it wants the controversial Browse gas project built onshore, or offshore using floating technology.

Nearly a third of voters believe the federal government's controversial mining tax should be amended to raise more money rather than being dumped altogether, a new survey has found.

Rio Tinto expects iron ore prices will fall 50 per cent from current levels to around per tonne over the next 18 months.

Australian junior miners' growth ambitions are being stymied by a lack of federal government support, a new report says.

The new chief executive at driller Boart Longyear, Richard O'Brien, will take a pay cut of about one-third.

Sandfire Resources has reported its maiden interim profit, as it continues to ramp up production at the DeGrussa open pit and underground copper-gold mine near Meekatharra.

A rise in iron ore and coal exports is expected to have been the major driver of economic growth in an otherwise weak final three months of 2012.

Miner Lynas Corporation will have a new chief executive from April as it ramps up its production of rare earths products.

Australia's export commodity prices rose for the fourth consecutive month in February, Reserve Bank of Australia figures show.

Shares in Sirius Resources have surged today after the company announced further promising nickel exploration results near Norseman.

Fresh from announcing plans to develop the Iron Valley mine in the Pilbara, Mineral Resources has become the eleventh Western Australian company in the S&P/ASX 100 Index.

Aurora Oil & Gas has acquired a large slice of highly-prospective oil and shale gas acreage in South Texas for $US117.5 million.