New Zealand in the OECD

Energy consumption

In 2002 New Zealand had the eleventh-highest energy consumption per capita, as expressed in total primary energy supply in tonnes of oil equivalent (TOE) per capita. New Zealand’s energy consumption of 4.53 TOE per capita is just above the OECD average of 4.67. Factors contributing to high energy consumption are a large manufacturing base, a cold climate, a high standard of living, and a low population density which means that greater distances are travelled.

Electricity generation

Among OECD countries, New Zealand has the sixth-lowest proportion of electricity generated using combustible fuels (ie oil, coal and natural gas), and the third-highest proportion of electricity produced using hydroelectric schemes. Seventy-two percent of its electricity comes from this source.

New Zealand is one of 13 of the 30 OECD members that does not operate nuclear power plants. Several of those 13 countries import electricity from countries that do have such plants.

New Zealand has the third-highest proportion of electricity produced using alternative methods, primarily geothermal. The two countries with a higher proportion of alternative methods than New Zealand are Iceland, which also uses geothermal generation, and Denmark, which has a large infrastructure of wind farms.