Brown coal extends rebound, pushing up power sector emissions

Energy consultants Pitt & Sherry say brown coal's share of the main national electricity grid has surged to its highest level since September 2012, increasing the sector's greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The fresh data came as climate change ministers from around the country met in Adelaide on Monday to discuss how state governments might co-operate on emissions.

Coal-fired power plants accounted for just less than 75% of the supply to the National Electricity Market (NEM) in April, and brown coal – with its higher emissions – accounted for almost 24 percentage points of that total.

Contractors push for Atlas Iron to return to full production

Atlas Iron's contractors are pushing to reopen the company's third and most expensive mine, buoyed by their success in keeping the struggling iron ore producer in operation, according to the Australian Financial Review.

Mount Webber is the Pilbara miner's newest mining hub and its future is critical to some of the company's contractors who are fiercely advocating for it to restart operations.

S&P cuts BHP Billiton outlook to negative over dividend, cash flow strain

Standard & Poor's decision to cut to BHP Billiton's credit outlook to negative from stable has stirred more criticism of the miner's policy to constantly maintain or increase its dividend, according to the Australian Financial Review.

S&P on Monday said the miner's so-called “progressive dividend” policy reduced its financial flexibility, and the weak outlook for prices of its two biggest earners – iron ore and oil, were behind its decision. But the agency affirmed the mining giant's A+ credit rating, and the A-/A-2 credit ratings it has on Rio Tinto.