The project's end goal is the creation of a SaaS prototype to be handed over to Ukraine's National Energy and Utilities Regulatory (NEURC). This platform will employ AI to assess the state of vital infrastructure facilities, including those damaged in the war, especially in areas inaccessible on the ground. 

The program was announced in early June in Kyiv when the cooperation partners met with Ukraine's deputy minister of energy, Roman Andarak. During the meeting, Andarak thanked Estonia for the sizable assistance it has provided to the Ukrainian energy sector. Estonia has sent 225 tonnes of essential electrical equipment to Ukraine so far.

According to Eva-Maria Liimets, ESTDEV's program manager for democracy and the rule of law, this type of AI solution will make the management of Ukraine's energy assets more efficient and transparent. 

"We want to contribute to the restoration of destroyed energy networks and improve Ukraine's energy security because more than half of their infrastructure has already been damaged by Russian attacks," Liimets said.

The Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV) signed a cooperation agreement with NEURC and another with the Ukrainian network operator UKRENERGO, who will participate in the pilot along with additional distribution network companies.

The project's budget is €712,000 euros, of which €443,000 comes from confiscated Russian assets. The remaining €268,000 is from Estonia's development cooperation budget. In December 2023, the Estonian and U.S. ministries of justice of Estonia and the United States signed an agreement to redirect nearly confiscated Russian assets to the reconstruction of Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

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