In Germany, starting in October, all consumers will pay a gas surcharge of 2.419 euro cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). For an average family of four, this will amount to about 480 euros a year, Reuters reported.

A government spokesman said the surcharge is in line with government expectations.

Inflation in Germany is already at 8.5 percent, and the increase in household electricity bills will further increase the cost of living.

"The gas surcharge significantly increases the cost pressure already exerted on the steel industry by the extreme price increases on the energy markets," WV Stahl President Hans Jürgen Kerkhoff said.

Jens Suedekum, an economics professor at Heinrich-​Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, said inflation could reach double digits in the fall and called for further measures to help low- and middle-income people. The state cannot mitigate high energy prices everywhere. It can't. But it can provide targeted assistance where it is most needed, Sudekum said.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck assured citizens that further aid measures are under development after Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised an additional aid package.

Habeck once again blamed Russia for everything. According to him, the surcharge is a consequence of Putin's illegal war against Ukraine and artificial energy shortages caused by Russia.