The Green Party says the Government is taking a "head-in-the-sand" approach to oil prices and should prepare now by investing in alternative fuels and public transport.

Pike River Coal has reported an annual net loss of $39 million and will not be paying any dividend.

Meridian Energy's underlying earnings rose 29 per cent in the year to June 30 to $251.9 million, reflecting a 13 per cent increase in total energy generation.

Singer-songwriter Bjork is spearheading a push to put foreign energy takeovers to referendum if enough people oppose the deals.

Official documents show the Government did not consider the environment when awarding an East Cape off shore oil exploration permit.

Oil giant Shell misled consumers by claiming its fuel was able to take drivers further, the Commerce Commission says.

Investment bank UBS plagiarised oil and gas research for use in its own investment reports, says a New York publisher.

For infrastructure company Vector, the benefit of taking load off the network is an economic no-brainer.

Many countries are moving ahead with smart-grid technology, but New Zealand is lagging a little way behind.