Special Report: Gas crisis hots up

The scale of the impact of the Varanus Island gas explosion is starting to emerge, with about 50 per cent of a large sample of companies in Western Australia reporting their production is down by 30 per cent.

For Morley-based food producer Mrs Mac's Pty Ltd, the gas crisis has put the company in a state of watchful alert, rather than caused significant disruption.

As timing goes, the announcement that Alcoa of Australia and Latent Petroleum have joined forces to develop the Warro gas field was impeccable.

With the state's energy policy firmly in the spotlight in the wake of the Varanus Island incident, it has emerged that the Chamber of Minerals and Energy is undertaking a major study to determine the resources industry's power needs for the next decade or