Gazprom has said it will take Germany to court over a decision not to exempt the Russian company’s controversial gas pipeline from EU regulations governing energy markets.

The pipeline, Nord Stream 2, is an $11bn (£8.9bn) subsea link that aims to double the delivery of Russian natural gas to Europe’s biggest economy.

However, the project has been buffeted by setbacks, including the introduction of US sanctions last December by President Donald Trump.

Now, the Swiss subsidiary of Gazprom that is behind the project has criticized the decision by Germany’s energy watchdog not to waive the regulations as “discriminatory” and opposed to the “constitutional guarantees of the Basic Law”.

The German regulator ruled recently that Nord Stream 2 must be forced to comply with European competition standards, in line with the EU Third Energy Package that governs energy monopolies.

See Also:

Turkey’s Russian nuclear power project hits legal hurdle

The package, introduced in 2009, states that the supplier of gas, in this case Gazprom, cannot also own the pipeline.

In theory, this ruling means that Gazprom will be forced to give half of its pipeline capacity to independent gas suppliers in Russia.

Read more: The Telegraph