Editing South Island (section)

===Energy===
[[File:Aviemore Dam From Canterbury.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Aviemore Dam]], the [[wiktionary:Penultimate|penultimate]] hydro station on the [[Waitaki River]] hydro scheme]]
The South Island is a major centre for electricity generation, especially in the southern half of the island, and especially from hydroelectricity. In 2010, the island generated {{val|18.01|ul=TWh}} of electricity, 41.5% of New Zealand's total electricity generation. Nearly all (98.7%) of the island's electricity is generated by hydroelectricity, primarily from the [[Waitaki River|Waitaki]], [[Clutha River|Clutha]], and [[Manapouri Power Station|Manapouri]] schemes, with most of the remainder coming from wind generation.<ref name="EDF2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/MultipageDocumentTOC____46119.aspx |title=Energy Data File |publisher=[[Ministry of Economic Development (New Zealand)|Ministry of Economic Development]] |date=13 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111207221928/http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/MultipageDocumentTOC____46119.aspx |archive-date=7 December 2011 }}</ref> While the majority of electricity is consumed within the island, a significant percentage is exported to the North Island via the [[HVDC Inter-Island]] link.

[[Offshore drilling|Offshore oil and gas]] is likely to become an increasingly important part of the South Island economy into the future. [[Origin Energy]] has formed a joint venture with [[Anadarko Petroleum]], the second-largest independent U.S. natural gas producer, to begin drilling for oil in the [[Canterbury Basin]] off the coast of [[Dunedin]]. The 390&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, Carrack/Caravel prospect has the potential to deliver more than the equivalent of {{convert|500000000|oilbbl}} of oil and gas. Market analyst, Greg Easton from Craigs Investment Partners commented that such a substantial find it could well turn [[Dunedin]] from the [[Edinburgh]] of the south to the [[Aberdeen]] of the south.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvnz.co.nz/business-news/origin-begin-exploration-off-south-island-3382251 |title=Origin in joint exploration venture in Canterbury Basin &#124; BUSINESS News |publisher=TVNZ |date=25 February 2010 |agency=ONE News |access-date=2 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613031107/http://tvnz.co.nz/business-news/origin-begin-exploration-off-south-island-3382251 |archive-date=13 June 2011 }}</ref>

[[File:GreatSouthBasinNZ.PNG|thumb|right|Approximate location of the Great South Basin with approximate location of allocated oil exploration blocks]]

The [[Great South Basin]] off the coast of Otago and [[Southland, New Zealand|Southland]] at over {{convert|500000|km2}} (covering an area 1.5 times New Zealand's landmass) is one of New Zealand's largest undeveloped offshore petroleum basins with prospects for both oil and gas. In July 2007, the New Zealand Government awarded oil and gas exploration permits for four areas of the Great South Basin, situated in the volatile waters off the Southern Coast of New Zealand. The three successful permit holders are:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://energy.southlandnz.com/BusinessinSouthland/OilGasMinerals/GreatSouthBasin.aspx |title=Great South Basin |publisher=Southland Energy Consortium |access-date=2 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716114240/http://energy.southlandnz.com/BusinessinSouthland/OilGasMinerals/GreatSouthBasin.aspx |archive-date=16 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* a consortium led by [[ExxonMobil]] New Zealand (Exploration) Limited (United States) which includes local company [[Todd Energy|Todd Exploration Limited]] (New Zealand);
* a consortium led by [[OMV]] New Zealand Limited (Austria) which includes [[PTT Public Company Limited|PTTEP Offshore Investment Company Ltd]] ([[Thailand]]), [[Mitsui]] Exploration and Production Australia Pty Ltd (Japan); and
* [[Greymouth Petroleum]] Limited (New Zealand)