The State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development will receive 20,000 tonnes of metal for the construction of second-level protection structures at energy facilities as part of an energy security project funded by the U.S. Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

“The construction of protective structures for energy facilities is one of the important tasks of the Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development. We want to build fortifications that will give us confidence in the safety of critical infrastructure for the long term.

Thanks to our American partners, we will be able to significantly contribute to the construction. This is an invaluable contribution to our energy security,” commented Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development.

The metal supply project is being implemented by Tetra Tech ES, a USAID contractor. The company purchases metal from a Ukrainian manufacturer and transports it to the construction site.

“There are three levels of protection against shaheds and other drones. Since March this year, concrete structures have been built around the main Ukrenergo network. The second level of protection covers 22 substations and 63 autotransformers in 14 regions. Thanks to USAID’s support, we have already received about 5,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel and are waiting for the rest,” said Mustafa Nayyem, Head of the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.

The decision to protect energy facilities was made by the Government and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Agency is working with NPC Ukrenergo, which is defining the design and construction tasks.

The design is based on the input from the General Staff, the manual for the engineering troops, and international regulatory documents received from specialists trained in the UK in accordance with UK and U.S. regulations and standards.