One of Australia's largest home and business electricity suppliers, TRUenergy, has warned that household power bills will double in six years after a carbon price is introduced and uncertainty over its implementation might lead to power shortages.

The gas and electricity giant's chief executive, Richard McIndoe, said uncertainty over what the long-term carbon price might be has stalled capital investment in the industry and halted construction of new power stations.

"Capital is not being invested so we haven't seen new power stations built," Mr McIndoe told ABC TV today.

Electricity regulator Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) had forecast shortages of baseload power for Queensland in 2013 and 2014, with Victoria and NSW experiencing shortages in 2015 and 2016, he said.

"Given the timeframe for building new power stations, we're concerned that we need that certainty today so we can build power stations to meet that coming gap in the market," Mr McIndoe said.