Stanton Energy Plant is on fire. The blaze flared up after 1:00 p.m. in a six-story building.

The Energy Supply Association of Australia (ESAA) says the Government should not force the electricity industry to use selected technologies as it attempts to reduce carbon emissions.

Leaders of the US energy industry met in Houston Thursday for what was billed as a presidential summit on energy issues, but they drew only one candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, energy experts say more dialogue between politicians and the industry is crucial if the nation is to avoid a crisis in coming years.

Around 1,900 people have gathered in Houston, Texas for the annual conference sponsored by Cambridge Energy Research Associates, or CERA, a Massachusetts-based firm that brings major energy players together every year to examine the world's energy picture. This year's focus includes some issues that are not strictly energy related such as climate change and the US housing crisis. VOA's Greg Flakus has more from Houston.

Climate change worries coupled with high oil prices and increasing government support top a set of drivers fueling soaring rates of investment in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, according to a trend analysis from the UN Environment Programme.

China's electricity output is expected to grow by 14 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2007, but demand continues to outrun supply in some areas, according to the nation's top economic planner.

Rosneft subsidiary won the bidding for several Yukos units on Thursday with an offer of 175.7 billion rubles (US$6.8 billion; 5 billion EUR), the latest chapter in the piece-by-piece liquidation of the bankrupt oil company.