Germany’s Uniper SE, the country’s largest utility and biggest importer of Russian natural gas, has asked for a government bailout after Gazprom PJSC reduced supplies from the Nord Stream 1 pipeline last month by 60%.  

Uniper filed a formal application under Germany’s Energy Security Act (EnSiG) asking the government to take a stake in the company. It also wants debt funding as “stabilization measures,” CEO Klaus-Dieter Maubach said during a press conference on Friday.  “We hope to obtain the necessary assistance shortly based on our application.”  

In response, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said “politically, one thing is clear: we will not allow a systemically important company to go bankrupt and cause turbulence on the global energy market as a...