A premier could use compulsory acquisition powers to increase gas supplies for industry and help secure the future of the nation's biggest aluminium smelter.

Federal and NSW government leaders have been scrambling to keep the Tomago Aluminium facility running, with a bailout reportedly worth more than $1 billion on offer.

The operators of the Hunter Valley smelter, which is majority-owned by mining giant Rio Tinto, said high energy costs had forced the company to consider ending operations when its electricity supply contracts expired in 2028.

In an address to an Australian Workers' Union conference in western Sydney, Premier Chris Minns said he was determined to keep Tomago open, linking its future to a controversial, multibillion-dollar natural gas project.

"We can't sit around waiti

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