News Articles

Mining 31 Mar 2026

Greenbushes generates $624m profit

The Greenbushes lithium mine in the state's South West generated a $624 million profit for its three joint venture owners, a far cry from its bumper $6 billion profit two years ago.

Mining 13 Feb 2026

Albemarle chief calls out West-China cost gap

Albemarle's chief Kent Masters says higher operating costs in the West must be addressed if ex-China supply chains are going to be solidified, after idling the Kemerton lithium plant.

Mining 12 Feb 2026

Albemarle mothballs Kemerton lithium plant

Greenbushes co-owner Albemarle is set to mothball the remainder of its Kemerton lithium hydroxide operation and has doused expansion plans for the South West plant.

IGO managing director Ivan Vella. Photo: Jack McGinn

Mining 29 Jan 2026

Refinery woes bite IGO

Outages at a Kwinana lithium refinery are hampering IGO's ability to make the most of recovering battery metal prices as production climbs from the Greenbushes mine.

Tonic Group's proposed Binningup Solar Farm and EV servo. Pictures; Tonic Group

Energy 23 Sep 2025

$190m solar farm a Tonic for SWIS

A team of renewable newcomers are behind a $190 million plan to build a solar farm by the Forrest Highway which would feed power to industrial projects and the state's first EV servo.

The Greenbushes open pit lithium operation, which has undergone several expansions over the years. Photo: Talison Lithium

Mining 30 Apr 2025

IGO strained by ‘underperforming’ Kwinana refinery

The 'underperforming' Kwinana lithium hydroxide refinery continues to strain joint venture owners IGO and China's Tianqi Lithium, while the Greenbushes mine churns out cash.

Albemarle's Paris Grove village. Photo: CBRE.

Deals 02 Apr 2025

Aspen to buy Albemarle’s Australind village

ASX-listed Aspen Group has entered a conditional contract to acquire lithium miner Albemarle's half-built accommodation village in Australind.

Mining 31 Mar 2025

Talison’s revenue, profit tumble in lithium landslide

Greenbushes may have clung on to an annual profit in FY24, but a subdued spodumene market led to a sharp downturn in mine operator Talison's latest financials.

Mining 27 Nov 2024

Govt extends lifeline to lithium miners

The state government has committed up to $150 million to help the lithium industry but it comes months after several miners already scaled back their operations amid an unstable market.

Mining 31 Oct 2024

Greenbushes chemical plant cost hike

The cost of building the third chemical grade processing plant designed to lift production capacity from the Greenbushes lithium mine has again blown out to $880 million.

Mining 17 Oct 2024

Paucity of new resources projects

Just one major resources project has been sanctioned in WA this year and the pipeline of future projects is thin, a review by Business News has found.

Property 02 Oct 2024

Albemarle eyes workers’ village sale

Albemarle is mulling a sale of its Australind workers' village after the lithium giant scaled back its $2 billion expansion plan at Kemerton amid ongoing depressed prices.

Transport & Logistics 10 Sep 2024

Offshore giant spurs intrigue in Bunbury

A 15,000-tonne offshore oil and gas decommissioning vessel has proven a unique site while docked in WA's third largest city.

Mining 20 Aug 2024

Positive results for contractor trio

Local contractors Monadelphous, Macmahon and Mader Group posted upticks in their full-year revenue for the 2024 financial year.

Podcasts 02 Aug 2024

Mark My Words August 2 2024

Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss the week in lithium; construction issues; Fortescue's share price tumble; inflationary data; interest rates; house prices; CFMEU action; and Rex's plight.

Mining 01 Aug 2024

Albemarle halts lithium expansion

US-based Albemarle will shut down parts of its Kemerton lithium hydroxide operation, a move that impacts 300 local jobs and contractor Monadelphous.

Transport & Logistics 19 Jul 2024

Bumper year for Southern Ports trade

Record spodumene exports and strong demand for caustic soda and fertiliser have lifted annual trade figures in WA's south to new highs.

Deals 22 May 2024

Patriot taps investors for $82.4m

Patriot Battery Metals has announced it will raise $C75 million, or $A82.4 million, by way of a fully subscribed charity flow-through offer.

Mining 02 Apr 2024

Greenbushes miner posts $6.28bn profit

The owner of Australia's largest lithium mine has defied a fall in the commodity's price to post a near-doubling in full-year profit to $6.28 billion.

Infrastructure 21 Mar 2024

UGL’s $330m Kemerton contract scrapped

Around 150 workers at CIMIC Group subsidiary UGL have been stood down at Albemarle's Kemerton lithium plant expansion, with the contractor's role on the project coming to an end.

Manufacturing 20 Feb 2024

Strong first half for Monadelphous

Monadelphous Group expects its full year revenue to rise by 10 per cent, on the back of strong first half results for the 2024 financial year.

Energy 16 Feb 2024

Lithium prices 'unsustainable': Albemarle

US chemicals giant Albemarle has warned that low lithium prices could stifle investment decision-making but has faith in the long-term vision of the business.

Manufacturing 15 Feb 2024

Civmec profit, revenue up

Construction and engineering provider Civmec Limited increased its revenue by 17.5 per cent during the first half of the 2024 financial year.

Mining 13 Feb 2024

Workforce focus amid battery metal woes

Project scale-backs and mine closures have put jobs in the spotlight but the headline figures only tell part of the story.

Mining 31 Jan 2024

Galan taps investors for $19.5m

Galan Lithium is tapping investors for $19.5 million to help fund the phase 1 development of its Hombre Muerto West lithium brine project in Argentina.

Mining 22 Jan 2024

Liontown shares fall after update

Liontown Resources shares drifted to 88.5 cents per share today following an update of its $760 million debt funding package for the Kathleen Valley lithium project.

Mining 17 Jan 2024

Albemarle scales back Kemerton plans

The dramatic downturn in the battery metals sector has forced Albemarle to slash spending, with one casualty being the planned expansion of its Kemerton lithium refinery.

Mining 17 Jan 2024

Albemarle selling out of Liontown

US company Albemarle has appointed brokers to sell its stake in Liontown Resources, three months after Hancock Prospecting effectively blocked its $6.6 billion takeover bid.

Bulls N' Bears 16 Nov 2023

Infinity land grab grows Pilbara lithium tenure to 795sq km

Infinity Mining has stretched its Pilbara lithium tenure to a whopping 795sq km after securing a contiguous fourth exploration licence, adding to its strategically-located ground 30km west of Marble Bar in Western Australia. And in addition to lithium, the company says its Panorama project area is also prospective for intrusive-related nickel-copper, shear and conglomerate-hosted gold systems and volcanic-hosted massive sulphide base-metal deposits.