German utility Vattenfall Europe AG said Thursday it has filed a complaint to the country's constitutional court over the government's decision last year to accelerate a planned exit from nuclear energy, with the company saying the policy shift violated its proprietary rights.

A spokeswoman for the unit of Sweden 's state-controlled Vattenfall AB said the complaint was filed "recently", declining to further elaborate.

She reiterated previous comments that Vattenfall accepts the political decision to accelerate the gradual phasing out of all nuclear energy generation following the reactor accidents in Japan last year. However, like its peers E.ON AG (EOAN.XE) and RWE AG (RWE.XE), Vattenfall has said it wants compensation for damages incurred due to the early shut-down of its reactors.

The company spokeswoman declined to say how much in damages Vattenfall is seeking. A successful challenge of the nuclear exit decision at the constitutional court would open the door for compensation claims against the government at civil court proceedings.

Market observers, however, have said they expect the legal disputes to go on for several years.

E.ON and RWE have previously filed constitutional complaints over the issue.

Vattenfall is pursuing a dual-track strategy in its dispute with Germany , having earlier this year formally requested the initiation of arbitration proceedings.

The company spokeswoman said that these proceedings are still in the process of initiation.
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