SA opposition loses no-confidence motion

The South Australian opposition has lost a motion of no confidence against Premier Jay Weatherill's government over the state's power troubles.

Opposition Leader Steven Marshall launched the bid in the SA parliament's House of Assembly on Thursday, citing the government's "failure" to provide affordable and reliable power in SA.

He called on all members to indicate if they support the government's decision to reject Alinta Energy's 2015 offer to keep a coal-fired power station running.

But the motion failed to pass during a fiery question time in which several Liberal MPs were thrown out, including Mr Marshall.

Independent MPs Frances Bedford, who resigned from the ALP last week, and Martin Hamilton-Smith sided with the Labor government in the no-confidence vote.

Mr Weatherill defended his government's decisions on power, saying the public had growing confidence in the Labor party.

Earlier this month the government announced a $550 million strategy to secure the state's energy needs, including building a battery to store renewable energy and a government-owned, gas-fired power station.