One Nation misses SA poll rego deadline

One Nation won't be running candidates in the South Australia state election after "time may have got the better" of the party's registration process.

The deadline to register a party for the March poll came and went last Friday without One Nation submitting the necessary paperwork.

However, the party believes it can still run independent candidates in SA under a One Nation banner.

The 2018 March election is tipped to be hotly contested with a redistribution of seats putting the opposition Liberals in a strong position.

There is also the unknown factor of how well candidates from independent senator Nick Xenophon's SA Best party will perform, with the party expected to announce candidates by the end of September.

The key issue in South Australia remains the reliability and high price of electricity, with the Commonwealth critical of the state government's energy plan.