The pipeline took five years to complete UK and EU wholesale gas prices have risen by 17% after Germany’s energy regulator suspended approval of the controversial Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. It said the pipeline’s operating company needed to be compliant with German law before it would certify the €10bn (£8.4bn) project. Critics fear the pipeline will increase Europe’s energy dependence on Russia. The pipeline was finished in September , but it had been beset by delays. Running under the Baltic Sea, Nord Stream 2 will double Moscow’s gas exports to Germany, but it will also circumvent Ukraine, which relies on existing pipelines for income and would be hard-hit by the loss of transit fees. German businesses have invested heavily in the 1,225km (760-mile) pipeline and former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has played a big role in its development. Gas prices […]