• Opinion
• Gas

Metgasco farce: Fracking madness in the premier state

Metgasco shareholders have $108 million reasons to feel more than bitter about a miserable deal that will see NSW pay the gas driller to take its expertise elsewhere.

• Updated Nov 2, 2015
• Matthew Stevens

• Gas

Metgasco drops NSW drilling ambitions in return for $25m

A $25 million deal struck by Metgasco to abandon its drilling ambitions in NSW's Northern Rivers region is being met with jubilation by groups opposed to the coal seam gas project.

• Updated Nov 2, 2015
• Geoff Winestock and Angela Macdonald-Smith

• Oil

Former Drillsearch CEO Brad Lingo grabs Elk by the horns

Elk Petroleum chief executive Brad Lingo will culminate a "fast and furious" first month at the oil junior with an ambitious plan to pursue acquisitions.

• Updated Sep 2, 2015
• Tess Ingram

• Gas

Anti-gas activists take battle to supermarkets

Anti-coal seam gas activists are taking the fight against developers to the supermarket shelves via a 'Certified Gasfield Free' campaign.

• Updated Aug 10, 2015
• Ben Potter

• Gas

Oil plunge will stir M&A when price settles

The dive in the oil price to near-six-year lows has set the scene for a wave of mergers in the sector but bankers say the risk prices will fall further will likely delay activity until later in the year.

• Updated Jan 12, 2015
• Angela Macdonald-Smith

NSW culls areas open to gas projects

NSW will cancel coal seam gas exploration licences applications covering 43 per cent of the state as part of a new plan to regain community support for a few carefully vetted strategic projects.

• Nov 14, 2014
• Geoff Winestock

Metgasco boss blasts NSW government suspension decision

Metgasco managing director Peter Henderson has accused the NSW government of acting “unlawfully” and “unreasonably” when it suspended the company’s license to drill at a site at Bentley, near Lismore earlier this year.

• Updated Oct 21, 2014
• Marianna Papadakis

• Gas

NSW extends CSG licence freeze

The NSW government has shrugged off criticism about the slow pace of development of its coal seam gas resources with an extension of a freeze on petroleum exploration licences.

• Updated Oct 9, 2014
• Angela Macdonald-Smith

• Gas

NSW extends CSG licence freeze

The NSW government has shrugged off criticism about the slow pace of development of its coal seam gas resources with an extension of a freeze on petroleum exploration licences.

• Updated Sep 25, 2014
• Angela Macdonald-Smith

• Gas

Metgasco in $80m write-down, reserves cut

Embattled NSW gas explorer Metgasco has taken the red pen to capitalised exploration expenditure and downgraded its reserves to nil, blaming the huge uncertainty over the timing of development of its gas in the Northern Rivers region.

• Sep 19, 2014
• Angela Macdonald-Smith

• Street Talk

Miffed Karoon shareholder pitches board overhaul

Disgruntled Karoon Gas Australia shareholder Pegasus is pushing for an upheaval of the explorer’s board, unhappy at the direction under executive chairman Robert Hosking.

• Updated Sep 18, 2014
• Sarah Thompson, Anthony Macdonald and Jake Mitchell

Dow Chemical hits out at Victoria, NSW politicians for gas bans

The local chief of one of the world’s largest chemical companies has criticised the Victorian and NSW governments for standing in the way of gas supplies needed to avert a supply squeeze while they wait to get elections out of the way.

• Updated Sep 18, 2014
• Ben Potter and Lucille Keen

• Coal

Shenhua’s Watermark is more pain than coal

It is the new horizon coal project that time appears to have forgotten. On October 22, 2008, China’s biggest coal miner, China Shenhua Energy Company, paid $300 million to the people of NSW for the rights over a coal deposit called Watermark.

• Updated Aug 27, 2014
• Matthew Stevens

Bluescope boss O’Malley surviving and striving

Rarely has the disconnect between the way management and investors perceive financial performance been as stark.

• Updated Aug 27, 2014
• Matthew Stevens

Miners’ productivity outlook the pits: PwC

Australian mining has “precious few with legitimate claims to improving core productivity”, according to a global study of industry production.

• Updated Aug 15, 2014
• Matthew Stevens