Artificial intelligence accelerates the development of energy law doctrine.
Kaisa Huhta, Professor of European Law specialising in Energy Law, is the first-ever Master of Laws graduate from the University of Eastern Finland. A decade or so has passed since her graduation, and she is now a professor who develops energy law doctrine, supported by prestigious grants from the European Research Council (ERC) and the Research Council of Finland. Despite her rapid career progression, Huhta did not know when she applied for admission to the university that one day she’d want to be a professor.
“For young people planning their studies, I wish to offer an example showing that you don’t have to know where you’ll want to be in ten years’ time – and can still become a professor.”
Huhta took up her professorship in March 2026, and she swears by the principle of trusting the process. When you tackle tasks that land on your desk well, one at a time, good things tend to happen.
“Not necessarily those you might have expected or hoped for when you were younger, but usually good things nonetheless.”
During her general upper secondary school years, Huhta considered a career as a diplomat, as she was interested in languages and societal influence. In Joensuu, she became interested in studies in European law and, after a year of studies in the Open University, she was admitted to study European law in the Master’s degree programme for administrative sciences at the University of Eastern Finland. Two years after moving to Joensuu, she was among the first students to begin studies in the newly founded Master’s degree programme in law on a campus already familiar to her.
“I have not thought about my career strategically but rather tactically, focusing on doing whatever is on my desk as well as possible. That has opened up new opportunities. I really like the curiosity and freedom involved in the research process, and I truly enjoy writing.”
Research-based knowledge finds its way into society through expert roles
Societal impact and questions related to climate, the environment and justice piqued Kaisa Huhta’s interest already during her school years. According to her, in energy law, all of these aspects materialise in an interesting way.
As in other fields of law, scholars of energy law engage in societal impact. Huhta herself is an expert member of the Finnish Market Court, lending her expertise in cases relating to energy law.
“It is a direct and concrete way for me to introduce knowledge stemming from my research into societal decision-making. Another form of societal influencing typical for legal scholars is participation in in legislative processes in an expert capacity. For instance, I have been heard on matters relating to energy law by the parliamentary Constitutional Law Committee and the Finance Committee.”
Huhta is also among the first members of the University of Eastern Finland’s Centre for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law (CCEEL), founded in 2013, together with Professor Seita Vesa, Professor Kati Kulovesi and Professor Kim Talus.
“Today, more than one hundred scholars work at CCEEL. We are one of the world’s largest legal research centres focusing on energy, climate and environmental law, and we have strong networks on all continents.”
In the ERC project, we aim to develop a general doctrine of energy law in a more conscious and intentional way, and within a shorter timeframe.
Kaisa Huhta
Professor of Energy Law
Artificial intelligence accelerates the development of energy law doctrine
Huhta’s current ERC and Research Council of Finland projects are focused on the development of energy law doctrine, that is, the legal concepts and principles of the field. Although the topic may sound theoretical, it is closely and directly relevant to the work of the field’s practitioners and legislators.
“General doctrines from different branches of law are widely applied in practice, and they offer a framework for interpreting individual statutory provisions. In criminal law, for example, a key principle is that no one may be sentenced twice for the same crime, while in environmental law, a key principle is that the polluter pays.”
So far, such general doctrines have not been established for energy law. The research projects led by Huhta aim to accelerate their development by making use of AI, among other things.
“General doctrines in different branches of law have developed quite organically, step by step, over decades or even hundreds of years. In the ERC project, we aim to develop a general doctrine of energy law in a more conscious and intentional way, and within a shorter timeframe.”
The study involves interviews with energy sector professionals and examination of legal sources, such as EU directives and regulations as well as various court cases, from the 1950s to the present.
“With the help of AI, it is possible to analyse thousands of documents to identify trends and themes that an individual scholar could not detect simply by reading individual documents.”
To this end, the project involves close collaboration between scholars of law and computer scientists at the University of Eastern Finland.
“This collaboration has deepened my understanding of the plethora of ways in which research can be understood, structured and conducted.”
Sustainability, security and price are key energy market challenges
As a scholar in energy law, Huhta keeps a close eye on energy market developments. According to her, European energy markets face three key challenges related to sustainability, security and the price of energy.
“The energy sector lies at the heart of all sustainability-related issues, such as climate change, biodiversity and pollution. Law and legal systems play a crucial role in addressing these challenges.”
From a security perspective, various crises and crisis discourse have shaped the energy sector more intensely over the past ten years than before. As Europe has very limited domestic oil and gas reserves, dependence on third countries remains high.
“The key question for Europe is how it can build a low-carbon energy system based on renewable sources that would allow autonomous decision-making without creating new dependencies. And how this can be done in a manner that is just.”
According to Huhta, recent energy crises have shown that European energy markets have generally functioned well. When prices have risen, consumers have reduced their energy consumption and power outages have been avoided. Activating similar demand-side flexibility will be important in the future to advance the energy transition.
“There is huge potential if people can more consciously shift their energy consumption to times when inexpensive renewable energy is available. That is how we move towards the objective that has been set for us in binding legal instruments.”
Kaisa Huhta
Professor of European Law, especially Energy Law, University of Eastern Finland, 1 March 2026–
- LLM, University of Eastern Finland, 2015
- LLD, University of Eastern Finland, 2019
- Title of Docent in Energy Law, University of Helsinki, 2024
Key roles
- Associate Professor of European Law, especially Energy Law, 2023–2026
- Professor (part-time), European University Institute, 2024–
- Expert Member (part-time), Market Court of Finland 2023–
- Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law, 2026–
