Germany has seized control of a local unit of Russian natural-gas giant Gazprom, saying it will do 'what is necessary' to maintain energy supply in the country

Berlin took control of a Germany-based unit of the Russian gas giant.

In a statement on Monday, Germany's economy minister announced the seizure. According to the statement, the ministry of economic affairs learned that JSC Palmary and Gazprom export business services were the new owners of Gazprom Germania.

The economy ministry said it had not granted permission for the acquisition. The ministry said that permission is required if the investors are not from the European Union.

Robert Habeck, the economy minister, said in the statement that the Federal Government is doing what is necessary to uphold security of supply in Germany. Proper conduct of business in Germany must be ensured.

There are gas storage facilities, gas transportation, and energy trading in the country. The company is important for the gas supply, according to the Germany economy ministry.

The economy ministry said in a statement that the federal energy regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, would be the temporary Trustee of the company.

Concerns over Germany's energy security have been caused by Russia's war in Ukraine. Last week, Germany activated an emergency plan to deal with disruptions to its natural-gas supply after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to shut off Russian gas to Europe.

Germany is now in the early warning phase of its energy emergency plan, with Berlin calling for all energy consumers to save energy and reduce consumption. If the situation gets worse, the country might ration gas in the last stage of the plan, with industry first in line for power cuts. The move could lead to job losses.

Handelsblatt reported last week that Germany was considering nationalizing the units.

According to a government official and two other people briefed on the plans, Berlin was considering expropriating assets from the giant.

Russian gas accounted for more than half of Germany's gas imports in the first quarter of 2022, according to a report. According to a March 25 press release, the country has pledged to end the use of Russian gas by 2024.

Insider sent a request for comment from Gazprom, but they did not reply immediately.