A Senate committee will examine how best to close coal power stations to meet Australia’s climate change targets when the Greens and Labor combine to set up an inquiry on Wednesday.

The Greens and Labor will move a motion to ask the Senate environment and communications references committee to report on mass closures of electricity generators, and expect sufficient crossbench support to set up the inquiry.

It will consider how the retirement of coal power plants can help meet the Paris climate target of limiting global warming to 2C and how to achieve it with “minimal community and individual impact from closures”. That will include ways to attract new investment and jobs to affected communities.

The committee will also consider the increasing amount of electricity generated by renewables, future demand and the “maintenance of electricity supply, affordability and security”.

The concern with energy security echoes the terms of reference of a review of the National Electricity Market by the chief scientist established last week after federal and state energy ministers met to discuss energy security after the South Australian blackout. The committee will provide an interim report by 28 November and a final report by 1 February.

The Greens senator Larissa Waters, the chair of the committee, said: “We need a plan for the orderly phase-out of coal-fired power stations as we make the transition to clean energy.”

“Without a plan workers, communities and the future of our energy system will be left up to the chaos of the market.”

Communities in central Queensland, the Hunter, the Latrobe valley and Collie in Western Australia would benefit from the inquiry, she said.

Labor climate change and energy spokesman, Mark Butler, said: “The ageing coal power station fleet, 20% of which is over 35 years old, will need replacement in coming years

“Labor is committed to ensuring that closures happen at least cost, consistently with our climate change objectives and affected workers and communities are assisted to new industries and new jobs.”

Butler accused the government of “ignoring reality” and refusing to develop a plan for inevitable coal plant closures.

The government may consider coal power plant closures in its 2017 review of climate change policies.

According to an Essential poll released on Tuesday, 60% of Australians said renewable energy was “the solution to our energy needs” compared with 16% who regarded it as “a threat to the energy supply” and 24% undecided.

The poll also found 60% of those polled believe the South Australian blackout would have occurred “regardless of how the electricity was produced”, compared with 17% who blamed over-reliance on renewables and 24% undecided.