Leading developers of clean energy exports have warned the Western Australian government to set targets to speed up renewable energy projects and emissions reduction.
Yara Pilbara, which operates one of the world's largest ammonia plants, joined Fortescue Group and union boss Steve McCartney on Thursday in warning that the rollout of renewables is too slow.
One of the best ways to pick up the pace would be a renewable energy target for 2030 or a 2035 emissions reduction target - or both, an energy and clean exports summit in Perth was told.
Yara Pilbara general manager Laurent Trost said their technology for low-carbon production is sound but they cannot source renewable energy at anything close to a competitive price.
"We need economies of scale to make the numbers stack up and we fear that this will take time that Western Australia does not have," he warned.
The Smart Energy Council reiterated its call for WA to legislate for at least 82 per cent renewables by 2030, and to reduce emissions by at least 43 per cent by 2035.
"We have got to talk about this stuff, but we've got to start getting on with it," said Jessica Shaw, who is parliamentary secretary to Premier Roger Cook.
"I've decided not to run for parliament again in March because I'm sick of talking about it," she said, closing out the summit.
Meanwhile, the more than one in three WA households with rooftop solar face a shrinking payback for the excess power they sell into their electricity grid, the South-West Interconnected System (SWIS).
"Chaos" must end for communities, landholders and developers in regional Australia, and revenue must be shared by the communities facing the most change, the summit was told.
Grassroots energy organisations and state and federal politicians have been calling for funding for local energy hubs nationwide in the upcoming Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, which updates the federal budget.
A network of 50 drop-in centres could answer questions about transmission and renewable energy projects, while helping households and businesses get more value out of going electric.
The WA Labor government recommitted in July to phasing out coal-fired power stations by 2030 and boosting reliable renewable generation and storage.
In return, the federal government pledged to support developers to build at least 6.5 terawatt hours of new wind and solar and 1.1 gigawatts of new storage capacity in the state to keep the electricity grid stable.
Facing similar challenges to its east coast counterparts, historic WA coal area Collie will host the nation's biggest battery system to ease pressure on the changing grid.
WA opposition energy spokesman Steve Thomas has said a nuclear plant could be added at Collie "if the business case stacks up and advances in technology allow it to fit" the state's unique energy market.
In the state's northwest, the vast Pilbara region lacks the transmission to support new "energy superpower" industries in green ammonia and hydrogen or low-carbon iron and steel.
Successful bidders to build transmission will be in the running for a share of the $3 billion Rewiring the Nation fund, with expressions of interest due in a fortnight.
