The leaders of Australia's energy and electricity companies have welcomed the new carbon pricing scheme, saying it might reduce rather than increase their costs.
However the leaders said a market-based emissions trading scheme should be introduced immediately.
They want the market setting the price instead of the planned fixed price of $23 a tonne of carbon for its first three years.
Greg Everett, chief executive of power generator Delta Electricity, said companies would be reluctant to invest until a market-based price was introduced.
The $23 fixed price was also too low to drive a change in market behaviour and the floor price of $15 should not exist, he said.
Mr Everett said the market should decide how low or prices go.
"I don't think anyone is going to rush out and make investments at $23 a tonne," Mr Everett told the Carbon Expo Conference on Tuesday.
Mr Everett was part of a panel featuring Santos boss David Knox, AGL chief Michael Fraser and global giant GE's Australian-New Zealand arm chief executive Steve Sargent.
Of the companies represented on the panel, Delta would be most adversely affected by the scheme.
Mr Everett complained that while Delta used black coal to generate electricity, it would not be compensated unlike users of heavier carbon-emitting brown coal.
The carbon pricing scheme is intended to make natural gas a more economic and attractive resource for power stations because it produces about half the emissions of coal and will incur a lesser carbon price.
Mr Sargent was positive about the carbon price and said people had to look at the issue through a "different lens".
He said GE had reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 24 per cent since 2005 and saved about $US130 million ($A125.63 million) a year, and was generating revenues of more than $US25 billion ($A24.16 billion) a year through its energy technology arm.
"People have a view that lower emissions mean high costs, but that's not necessarily the case," Mr Sargent told the audience.
"You can design equipment for our customers where you have lower emissions and lower operating costs."
Mr Sargent said GE had sold engines for Qantas 787 jets that were 20 per cent more fuel efficient and produced 40 per cent less emissions.
He said that was a huge benefit for planes that used up to 900 tonnes of Co2 flying to Europe and back.
"We need to look at these challenges through a different lens and see how you can create opportunities for our customers to lower operating costs and lower emissions."
The government's controversial carbon pricing scheme passed through parliament on Tuesday, with Labor and the Australian Greens forcing the 18 so-called clean energy bills through the Senate.
The pollution price regime will begin in mid-2012 with a $23-a-tonne carbon price.
It will then transform to an ETS with a floating price in mid-2015.
