Archived News for Industry Professionals
Energy Group Santos has announced it has agreed to purchase Eastern Star Gas (ESG) in an all-share deal valued at a total $924 million.
The deal will see Santos, which already owned 20.9 per cent of ESG, move into majority ownership of the company and will give the energy group access to the largest natural gas reserves in New South Wales.
The deal will also involve selling 20 per cent of ESG’s permits in the Gunnedah Basin to TRUenergy Holdings for $284 million.
BHP Billiton acquires Petrohawk in merger deal
BHP Billiton has announced a merger acquisition of US based Petrohawk Energy Corporation after agreeing to pay an all-cash tender of US$38.75 per share, paying a total of US$12.1 billion (AUD$11.41 billion).
Commercial fuel lines secured after Caltex confirms expansion
Caltex, Australia’s only listed refiner-marketer, has confirmed an $80 million upgrade to its fuel storage and expansion plans in South Australia. Caltex will aim to boost supply reliability throughout the state in a bid to support the state’s booming resources sector.
Monash research challenges migration policy
Monash University’s Centre for Population and Urban Research has published a research report that challenges the sustainability and viability of the Government’s net 180,000 immigration target, and questions its strategy for meeting the resource industry's skills needs.
Mining and energy companies buy up labour
Mining and energy companies are hiring labour well before needed in an attempt to stave off effects of expected future skills shortages later in the year.
Safe Work Australia opens mining OH&S legislation for public comment
Safe Work Australia has announced the public comment period for model work health and safety legislation for the mining industry.
Commonwealth certifies access to Queensland Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, David Bradbury, has certified the Queensland Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT) Access Regime as an 'effective access regime' under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA) for a period of 10 years.
Research alliance to support LNG industry
A new research alliance has been formed to support the sustainable development of the coal seam gas (CSG) industry in Queensland.
Shell's Browse Basin LNG Project given Major Project Facilitation status
Royal Dutch Shell’s $12 billion Prelude Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) project has been granted Major Project Facilitation (MPF) status by the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese.
Macarthur surges after takeover offer
Shares in Macarthur Coal surged 37 per cent following the $4.7 billion offer from US coal giant Peabody Energy, sparking speculation that Xstrata is positioning itself to make a contending bid.
Hays releases resources employment report
Recruitment experts Hays have released an employment report for the resources sector for the July-September quarter, finding a significant demand for engineers across all disciplines.
Rio Tinto calls for maturing of Australia-China relationship
Rio Tinto China’s managing director, Ian Bauert, has called for the development of a mature and open relationship between China and Australia, urging that all traces of xenophobia be removed from the mining and resources sector.
Fears for Victorian coal after carbon tax announced
Loy Yang Power, owner of Victoria’s largest brown coal station, has voiced its fears over the country’s new Carbon Tax, saying that the Federal Government’s plans to assist the power industry will not stop the price erosion of its assets.
Change of guard in energy and resources associations
Four peak energy and resources industry associations are currently recruiting chief executives.
APPEA attacks carbon policy impact on LNG
The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) has criticized the Federal Government’s carbon policy for failing to protect Australia’s gas export industry.
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.
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.