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Gazprom to consider annulling shareholder deal over Nord Stream expansion

* Gazprom's board to meet on Nov. 9

* Polish watchdog objected to Nord Stream-2 consortium

* Gazprom delegation due to meet EU officials on Wednesday (Adds Gazprom's statement)

By Vladimir Soldatkin

MOSCOW, Oct (HKSE: 3366-OL.HK - news) 26 (Reuters) - Russia's Gazprom will consider cancelling an agreement with European partners to expand the Nord Stream gas pipeline at a board meeting on Nov. 9, it said on Wednesday, following resistance to the plan in some European countries.

However, Russia's state-controlled gas exporter said the 9.9 billion ($10.8 billion) project would still go ahead.

The board meeting reflects the political and regulatory problems the project has encountered in the European Union, where some member states are concerned about the prospect of the bloc becoming more dependent on Moscow for its energy needs.

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Gazprom said in a statement the potential annulling of the agreement would be a "formal step" after Poland's anti-monopoly watchdog objected to the consortium which was to finance, build and operate the new pipeline.

"Gazprom is going ahead with the Nord Stream-2 implementation as planned," it added.

"Its partners remain committed and consider the project as crucial for the European energy security and are looking for ways to contribute to it. Partners (LSE: 0QOQ.L - news) ' cooperation discussions should not cast any doubt on the strong project rationale and viability."

Nord Stream-2, initially scheduled to open in 2019, was meant to double the amount of gas shipped directly from Russia to Germany by laying a new pipeline to run parallel with the existing Nord Stream one which runs along the Baltic Sea bed.

Gazprom is partnered in the Nord Stream-2 project by Uniper , Wintershall, Shell (LSE: RDSB.L - news) , OMV (EUREX: 430021.EX - news) and Engie (LSE: 0LD0.L - news) .

A Gazprom source said Nord Stream-2's future was now up in the air.

"Nobody understands what will happen to it. There was an offer to issue bonds to the partners, but that seems to be off the table now," said the source, who declined to be named because of the matter's sensitivity.

Gazprom and its European partners agreed on the project last year, but critics say Nord Stream-2 risks limiting supply routes and undermining the energy security of the EU, which gets a third of its gas from Russia.

A senior source at Gazprom also told Reuters there had been no proposals from the company's European partners about the future of the project, citing chilled relations between the West and Russia.

Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said the company and its partners would have to consider a new arrangement after the objections from Polish regulators.

"We have to look for another cooperation scheme between participants," he said, without elaborating.

EU authorities are also reluctant to give Gazprom full access to an onland pipeline, Opal, that links the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany and the Czech Republic. EU rules designed to promote competition currently cap Gazprom's use of the Opal pipeline. (Additional reporting by Katya Golubkova and Denis Pinchuk; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Mark Potter)