An assessment has been made of South Australia’s energy resources. Hypothetical and uneconomic resources have been assessed as well as those which are identified and economically recoverable. The conclusions which emerge are (1) there is a complete mismatch between the energy reserves available in South Australia and the energy resources most in demand, and (2) these energy reserves can be increase at least a thousand-fold through exploration (to remove geological uncertainties), through research and development (to establish new mining techniques and to utilise fuels more efficiently), and through higher energy prices (to render more deposits economically workable. The various factors that determine the way energy resources are assessed and compared are also discussed.