Mr Corbell said the paper released this week provided no meaningful strategic policy direction to the energy industry and failed to address climate change issues.

"The white paper is not technology neutral but provides a clear bias towards fossil fuels, especially in the electricity generation sector," he said.

"It's regrettable the Commonwealth is so deeply uncomfortable with discussing climate change but it's predictable given the retrograde policies it is pursuing."

The 74-page paper said future energy policy should be technology neutral, rejects a proposal for a domestic gas reserve and calls for the privatisation of remaining state-owned electricity assets to lower power bills.

Climate change is mentioned once, global warming not at all.

Mr Corbell said the Commonwealth's climate change policy was the number one concern for industry and financiers.

The ACT would, however, meet its renewable energy targets without any significant extra costs despite a lower federal RET of 32,000 gigawatt hours being pushed by the Coalition, he said.

Mr Corbell welcomed the paper's focus on energy productivity.

"For example, it is often more cost effective now to provide space heating via energy efficient reverse cycle air-conditioners, rather than via gas," he said.

"This poses major questions, such as whether we should be expanding Australia's gas networks at all."

Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said climate change would be discussed as part of the government's submission to the global climate talks in Paris in December.