The Senate crossbench is split over a proposed clean energy target and other measures proposed in a review of Australia's electricity generation sector.
The review by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel outlined a technology neutral, incentive driven framework towards a lower emissions trajectory, with the specific target to be decided by parliament.
"Coal is still going to be there. We've still got a hell of a lot of it," crossbench senator Derryn Hinch told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
Coal would continue to play a part of Australia's energy mix for at least the next 20 to 30 years and he's confident the government and opposition can find agreement on the future of renewables.
Liberal Democratic senator David Leyonhjelm is less optimistic about the future of coal.
"At least it's not openly anti-coal," he said of the review.
"Although I think the underlying assumption is that coal is finished, which is false."
Senator Leyonhjelm said a clean energy target still counted as a tax on coal and that the future of fossil fuels depended on the emissions intensity baseline being set high enough to allow 'clean coal' solutions.
"I don't know how they're going to keep coal in the race if they keep the baseline too low," he said.
One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts claimed this party was the only party for cheap energy.
"What the Finkel report does not discuss is that we have been put in this position because of regulation, excessive regulation," he said.
"This is nothing more than a carbon dioxide tax."
Greens senator Nick McKim said while he was all for focusing on lower emissions as an end goal, clean coal and renewable energy were still mutually exclusive.
"The idea that coal in any way can be associated with clean energy is simply fantasy," he said.
