German green power surcharge to stay stable in 2014: documents BERLIN (Reuters) - A surcharge imposed on German consumers to support renewable power will remain roughly stable at around 5.3 cents per kilowatt hour in 2014 after a sharp rise in 2013, calculations made by grid operators and seen by Reuters showed on Wednesday. The documents put the surcharge for 2014 at between 4.89 cents and 5.74 cents per kilowatt hour, compared to the 5.277 cents already announced for 2013. The sharp 47 percent rise for 2013 has put pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to keep a lid on energy costs before next year's federal election. Her decision to switch off nuclear power faster than previously planned after last year's Fukushima disaster has led to a growing need for alternative energy sources and as a result higher charges are being put on consumers' energy bills. A spokesman for operator 50Hertz declined to comment on the numbers. Reporting by Markus Wacket; Writing by Madeline Chambers