Cook Islanders are facing a 12 percent hike in their power bills from next month as the country's main electricity authority can no longer absorb global fuel price rises.
The government-owned Te Aponga Uira, has warned the public to expect larger bills.
The company's financial controller, Elma Marurai, says the average household in Rarotonga already spends about $150 US dollars a month on electricity, soon that will be nearly $170 dollars.
She says they can no longer sustain continuing price rises.
"We're such a small island and we consume so little so we're at the mercy of all the other world wide users of fuel if the price goes up then we don't have enough volume to be able to manage it we don't have enough volume to control or make any difference to the change in the fuel prices."
Elma Marurai says the government is committed to finding renewable energy sources to reduce the country's reliance on diesel fuel.
