Environmentalists are threatening the fight of a lifetime over a proposal for South Australia to host a high-level nuclear waste dump.
The state's nuclear fuel cycle royal commission has called in its final report for SA to store the world's nuclear waste in exchange for billions of dollars in revenue.
Royal commissioner Kevin Scarce on Monday said it could take up to 10 years to lock in public support for the proposed facility.
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But he urged SA's government to seize the opportunity as soon as possible to prevent potential competitors from getting in first.
"This is a long-term proposal and I think we need to spend the time with the community to make sure they understand what's being proposed," he told reporters.
"But there is an element of competition and a tension between taking our time and ensuring that there's progress."
The royal commission has estimated a nuclear dump could generate $257 billion in total revenue against costs of $145 billion over its 120-year life span.
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Mr Scarce said the dump would offer significant benefits and he was confident potential risks could be addressed.
But conservationists accused Mr Scarce of down-playing the risks of nuclear storage and threatened to ramp up their campaign against the dump.
"We'll be increasing our profile, our presence and our concerns," Australian Conservation Foundation spokesman Dave Sweeney told AAP.
"It might include protests, it certainly will include boots on the ground.
"This is a serious threat from a resourced and long-standing industry. We're taking it very seriously."
Premier Jay Weatherill said a nuclear dump would have "extraordinary" economic benefits but required broad community support, although this is unlikely to be sought through a referendum.
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The government has promised to work with the state opposition and will outline its consultation process in coming days before deciding how to proceed by year's end.
"I don't see it as simply ticking the community support box," Mr Weatherill told reporters.
"This is a much more profound decision than communities are usually asked to make."
Treasurer Scott Morrison said the federal government would work constructively with SA to address any issues arising out of the royal commission.
"This, I think, has been a very practical and very worthy process the South Australian government has been working through on a very difficult issue," he told reporters in Adelaide.
