Expanding Overseas Nuclear Business: Hyundai E&C Recruits Former Westinghouse Expert

by Choi Daeyul

Published 04 Nov.2025 14:38(KST)

On November 4, Hyundai Engineering & Construction announced the recruitment of Michael Kuhn, former Vice President of Westinghouse, a U.S. nuclear power company.

This appointment is part of Hyundai E&C's efforts to expand its business across North America and other overseas markets. The company stated that Michael Kuhn will oversee a wide range of technical sales activities, including business development and order acquisition in both large-scale nuclear power plants and small modular reactors (SMRs), as well as providing local project management and licensing consulting. He will also serve as a technical advisor for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract and the design and construction of the Kozloduy large-scale nuclear power plant in Bulgaria, which Hyundai E&C is set to design. In addition, he will support order acquisition strategies in North America and Europe.

Kuhn is a nuclear power expert with over 34 years of experience in the industry, having worked at Westinghouse and ABB Combustion Engineering. He served as the overall manager for the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant project in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), overseeing the entire process from design and equipment procurement to project management and the establishment of a local corporation. He has also worked in various international locations, including Bulgaria, Finland, and China, and has been responsible for the design, licensing, and procurement of Korea’s Hanbit Units 3-6 and Hanul Units 3 and 4. He participated in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) nuclear power plant design certification project, gaining insights into the latest technological trends in the nuclear sector, and contributed to winning new nuclear power plant orders in Europe.

Michael Kuhn, former Vice President of Westinghouse. Provided by Hyundai Engineering & Construction

Based on its experience in constructing large-scale nuclear power plants, Hyundai E&C plans to expand its business into nuclear decommissioning, spent nuclear fuel storage, nuclear fusion power generation, and next-generation SMR technologies. The company is expected to accelerate its efforts to penetrate overseas nuclear power markets with this latest recruitment. Currently, countries around the world are making every effort to secure sufficient electricity to support the expansion of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.

With the rapid increase in data centers and other facilities, existing power sources alone are insufficient to meet electricity demand, prompting the expansion of nuclear power plants and the development of SMRs. The U.S. government has signed a strategic agreement with Westinghouse and announced plans to quadruple its nuclear power generation capacity by 2050 to strengthen energy security and enhance supply chain stability. Global big tech companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are also directly investing in nuclear power or signing purchase agreements with nuclear power companies.

Previously, Hyundai E&C signed a basic engineering contract with Fermi America for four large-scale nuclear power units to be built at a local energy and AI campus in the United States. The company is also working with U.S. nuclear power companies such as Westinghouse and Holtec on the design of Bulgaria’s large-scale nuclear power plant. A company representative stated, "The fresh perspective of specialized talent and the insight essential for entering new markets and developing new businesses will become Hyundai E&C's core driving force."