MOSCOW, June 22 (RIA Novosti) - Gazprom [RTS: GAZP] has bought Pennine Natural Gas Limited to expand into direct sales to commercial and industrial consumers in the United Kingdom, the energy giant said Thursday.

In spring, British legislators said they would scrutinize any attempt made by Gazprom to secure a stake in leading energy company Centrica.

Today's deal was closed by Gazprom Marketing and Trading, which was set up in 1999 and holds licenses to supply gas to end-consumers in various industrial sectors, and work will soon begin to transfer PNG's client profile of 600 to the energy giant's subsidiary.

Gazprom Marketing and Trading also closed a deal with Natural Gas Shipping Services Limited to provide administrative services in providing end-consumers with gas.

The Russian company announced last week that it had signed a contract with Denmark's DONG Energy under which the Danish company will buy 1 billion cubic meters of gas a year for a period of 20 years.

Gazprom is also building the North European Gas Pipeline with two German concerns, which will eventually see Russian natural gas flow directly from Russia to Germany across the floor of the Baltic Sea.