A new Early Works Agreement between Hyundai Engineering and Construction (Hyundai E&C) and Westinghouse Electric — a U.S.-based nuclear technology company — to pursue nuclear development in Finland places South Korea at the center of Europe’s shifting energy strategy, while also exposing widening contradictions in President Lee Jae-myung’s energy policy.

Signed with Finland’s state-owned utility Fortum, the agreement sets the groundwork for deploying Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor in the Nordic country. Hyundai E&C, acting as a key engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partner, is now positioned to expand its role in high-stakes nuclear infrastructure.