The increases follow a Queensland Competition Authority determination.

Typical business customers were looking at a hike of 26 per cent or $511 extra and large businesses would be hit with an increase on tariff 45 of more than $28,000 while tariff 14 increased by $14,000.

The war in Ukraine was a major factor in the increases in the wholesale cost of energy, according to QCA chair Professor Flavio Menezes.

Menezes said the increase in electricity prices would result in a 28.7 per cent increase in the annual bill for a typical residential customer (on tariff 11) and a 26.8 per cent increase for the typical small business customer, on tariff 20.

“The annual bill for a typical residential customer is forecast to increase by $429, from $1496 to $1926. For the typical small business customer, the annual bill is forecast to increase by $511, from $1907 to $2418.”

Prices were set in accordance with the Queensland Government’s uniform tariff policy, which meant most regional customers paid less for electricity than it cost to supply them.

It follows an increase announced in May for southeast Queensland residents of about $119 which lifted the annual bill from $1290 to $1409.

“Our wholesale energy cost estimates reflect a significant increase in ASX contract prices, driven by market expectations of higher spot prices and greater price volatility.

“This is likely due to higher coal and gas prices, which have been impacted by the war in Ukraine, as well as uncertainty around the availability and reliability of coal-fired power plants, which impacts the supply–demand balance in the Queensland region.”

Heidi Lee Douglas, who heads solar energy lobby group Solar Citizens said too many households and small businesses in regional Queensland would be “pushed to the brink” by the increases.

“Queensland is literally the Sunshine state, so the State Government needs to make sure no one in the regions is locked out of the benefits of harnessing cheap, clean solar energy,” she said.

“Every regional Queenslander deserves access to cheap, clean energy from solar.”

Offsetting the increase was a second decision by the QCA to increase the solar feed-in tariff for regional residents with rooftop solar.

That increased 40 per cent which Queensland Conservation Council director Dave Copeman said meant the Government should invest more in renewable energy.

Shadow Treasurer David Janetzki said this news would be hard for Queensland families to take amidst the chaos and crisis already impacting their lives under the Palaszczuk Labor Government.

The Government has promised to offset power bills in next week’s Budget but the LNP Treasury spokesman David Janetski said the increases would be a bitter blow for regional Queenslanders who were already dealing with the biggest cost-of-living pressures in the nation.

“The Palaszczuk Labor Government promised power bills would be cheaper 150 times,” he said.

“This is yet more evidence Queenslanders are paying even higher prices for electricity due to the chaos and crisis of the Palaszczuk Labor Government.”