Connecting to SQL 2014 via PowerShell - sql

Question

This has me stumped.
.NET version 4.7
Powershell 5.1
I am trying to use the : new-object System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection statement
to connect to a MS-SQL server.
The code connects when run as Administrator but fails when run as another user that is a member of Local Administrators group.
The user has (I think) all required SQL permissions and no SQL hardening has been done. It is sysadmin on the server both with a Windows account and a SQL account.
Using
try { new-object System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection }
catch { write-host $_.Exception.ToString() }
to simply catch the exception.
It returns Requested registry access is not allowed
Using ProcMon there is absolutely no difference in the registry calls what so ever between the two users except that under administrator 3 threads exit and under the user only 1.
I am not convinced it is an actual registry permission as I gave the account explicit permissions on both HKLM and HKCU in the lab.
If anyone has seen this and/or can recommend a fix please hit me up.
(The script has to run as the user account because it is called from within SQL and therefore invoked under the service account context of the SQL Server Agent)
Here is the exception:
try { new-object System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection }
catch { write-host $_.Exception.ToString() }
System.Management.Automation.MethodInvocationException: Exception calling ".ctor" with "0" argument(s): "The type initializer for 'System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection' threw an exception." ---> System
.TypeInitializationException: The type initializer for 'System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection' threw an exception. ---> System.TypeInitializationException: The type initializer for 'System.Data.SqlClien
t.SqlConnectionFactory' threw an exception. ---> System.TypeInitializationException: The type initializer for 'System.Data.SqlClient.SqlPerformanceCounters' threw an exception. ---> System.Security.Se
curityException: **Requested registry access is not allowed.**
at System.ThrowHelper.ThrowSecurityException(ExceptionResource resource)
at Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey.OpenSubKey(String name, Boolean writable)
at System.Diagnostics.PerformanceCounterLib.FindCustomCategory(String category, PerformanceCounterCategoryType& categoryType)
at System.Diagnostics.PerformanceCounterLib.IsCustomCategory(String machine, String category)
at System.Diagnostics.PerformanceCounter.InitializeImpl()
at System.Diagnostics.PerformanceCounter.set_RawValue(Int64 value)
at System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionPoolCounters.Counter..ctor(String categoryName, String instanceName, String counterName, PerformanceCounterType counterType)
at System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionPoolCounters..ctor(String categoryName, String categoryHelp)
at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlPerformanceCounters..ctor()
at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlPerformanceCounters..cctor()
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionFactory..cctor()
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection..cctor()
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at System.Runtime.Remoting.RemotingServices.AllocateUninitializedObject(RuntimeType objectType)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Activation.ActivationServices.CreateInstance(RuntimeType serverType)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Activation.ActivationServices.IsCurrentContextOK(RuntimeType serverType, Object[] props, Boolean bNewObj)
at System.RuntimeMethodHandle.InvokeMethod(Object target, Object[] arguments, Signature sig, Boolean constructor)
at System.Reflection.RuntimeConstructorInfo.Invoke(BindingFlags invokeAttr, Binder binder, Object[] parameters, CultureInfo culture)
at System.Management.Automation.DotNetAdapter.AuxiliaryConstructorInvoke(MethodInformation methodInformation, Object[] arguments, Object[] originalArguments)
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at System.Management.Automation.DotNetAdapter.AuxiliaryConstructorInvoke(MethodInformation methodInformation, Object[] arguments, Object[] originalArguments)
at System.Management.Automation.DotNetAdapter.ConstructorInvokeDotNet(Type type, ConstructorInfo[] constructors, Object[] arguments)
at Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewObjectCommand.CallConstructor(Type type, ConstructorInfo[] constructors, Object[] args)
PS SQLSERVER:>