Vic govt seeks support for energy target

The Victorian government will start work to woo the cross bench into backing its ambitious state-based renewable energy targets law.

With no guarantee of a federal target being set, the Andrews Labor government announced it would lock in its own of 25 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025.

The opposition says it will not be supporting the bill, instead wanting the state to wait for a national target.

The bill passed the lower house on Wednesday, but the government will have to work with the cross bench if it is to pass the upper house.

The Greens say they want to see the increase in renewable energy be accompanied by coal-fired power station closures.

"The whole point of renewables is to phase out dirty coal, which the Labor government is not doing," Greens environment spokeswoman Ellen Sandell said in a statement.