Concerns are growing in the Tasmanian midlands about Petragas's intentions to conduct oil and gas exploration in the region. The company has applied for an exploration licence for around 4000 m² of farmland just north of Hobart, near Kempton and Oatlands. [ + ]

Fluid Components International (FCI) has released a video that illustrates the VeriCal In-Situ Calibration System for the ST100 Series flow meter. [ + ]

Chief Minister Adam Giles announced plans for 'use it or lose it' rules to ensure oil and gas companies develop exploration leases or lose them within a given time frame. Speaking at an oil and gas industry conference in Darwin, Giles said these rules would prevent companies from just banking the leases. [ + ]

In the coming months, Rockwell Automation will provide specialised TÜV Rheinland Functional Safety Program training to machinery engineers across the country. [ + ]

ABB and Statoil have entered into a joint industry program to develop solutions for transmission, distribution and power conversion systems designed to power and control subsea pumps and gas compressors at depths of 3000 m and over vast distances. [ + ]

Rockwell Automation has been awarded an order in excess of $6.7 million by South Korean company DSME. Rockwell will deliver fully integrated safety solutions for Transocean, a leading provider of offshore contract drilling services. [ + ]

Coal seam gas producer QGC has awarded Thiess a $1.8 billion contract to construct gas compression facilities and associated works for the QCLNG project in the Surat Basin. [ + ]

University of Sydney researchers recently received a $1.36 million grant from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia which will allow the international research team to continue its work in the field of membrane technology. [ + ]

Rockwell Automation has launched an initiative to help manufacturers better protect their control systems from cybersecurity threats. Automation and IT professionals will be able to more effectively secure their industrial processes with the initiative, which uses control system design and best practices, contemporary technologies and professional services from Rockwell and its strategic partnerships. [ + ]

GE and XD Electric Group have formed a partnership to help modernise and expand Australia's electric grid. The joint venture will benefit from GE's grid automation capabilities and XD's high-voltage equipment portfolio. [ + ]

WFevents today announced the launch of a new, targeted event for industrial professionals. ACI Connect will focus on automation, instrumentation and control and will be held in Melbourne in early April, 2014. [ + ]

AquaHydrex has received $2.2 million to produce a competitive alternative to fossil-fuel-based hydrogen. The company says the funding will develop high-tech manufacturing that will drive employment and economic prosperity in the Illawarra region. [ + ]

Orica has reported a liquid ammonia spill at its Kooragang Island facility. According to the company, a leak developed at the plant and 100 kg of liquid ammonia had been lost but was contained on-site. [ + ]

Improvements in the production, employment and new orders subindexes saw the manufacturing sector contract at a slower rate in August. The Ai Group Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index was 4.4 points higher at 46.4 for the month. [ + ]

Uncertainty is brewing in Australia's manufacturing sector, Business Review Australia has reported. While Australia appears to have escaped the global economic crisis relatively unscathed, the manufacturing sector has been hardest hit by China's decelerating economy. [ + ]