Pipeline and energy company Enbridge (TSE:ENB) Friday reported slightly higher fourth-quarter net earnings as it said it would increase its dividend by 15 percent.

Enbridge, Inc. (TSE:ENB), one of Canada’s largest natural gas distributors, reported strong second quarter revenues and profits helped by gains on its derivative contracts as it moved more natural gas on its pipeline system.

"This investment is our initial entry into geothermal energy, which we think has an important role to play in North America's shift toward a greener energy production mix," said Enbridge president and CEO Patrick D. Daniel.

US engineering company URS Corp (NYSE:URS) said Tuesday it will buy Canadian oilfield services firm Flint Energy Services (TSE:FES) for $1.25 billion in cash, to expand its presence in the oil and gas sector.

EnCana (TSE:ECA)(NYSE:ECA) said Monday there were serious flaws with a US environmental report linking its Wyoming natural gas wells to water pollution, and that independent analysis of the data should be undertaken.

US oil services giant Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) said Friday that it was filing a defamation lawsuit against BP (NYSE:BP) over the 2010 Macondo oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The shares rallied even though they were listed at $30.00, above the estimated range of between $26-$29. This bullish initial target is testament to the fact that investors are back in the game, and is nothing if not an encouraging sign for the private equity industry after a bleak three years.

The new entity, which will have seven regulated natural gas distribution companies, will also have more than one million retail customers in its unregulated businesses, and will be capable of delivering approximately 4.7 billion cubic feet of wholesale gas per day.