The steel dome for the reactor building of Unit 1 at the Xudabao nuclear power plant in Huludao, Liaoning, has been hoisted and set in place. The operation uses heavy cranes to lift a structure tens of meters across and weighing hundreds of tons, then seat it precisely atop the cylindrical containment.

Setting the dome is the milestone known in Chinese construction practice as 'capping.' Once complete, the containment is closed to the outside air, and installation of internal equipment along with piping and electrical work begins in earnest.

Where it falls in the sequence

Nuclear construction typically proceeds through site preparation, foundation excavation, reactor building works, dome placement, main equipment installation, cold commissioning, fuel loading and criticality. Dome placement sits roughly midway, after which mechanical and electrical work outweighs civil works.

The composition of the workforce shifts at this point as well — from concrete and steel trades toward pipefitters, welders and instrumentation technicians.

Power supply in the northeast

The Xudabao site faces the Bohai Gulf, an advantage for cooling water. The three northeastern provinces have heavy winter heating demand and a generation mix long weighted toward coal. Added nuclear capacity moves that mix in a different direction.

Nuclear plants generally take six to eight years from groundbreaking to commercial operation, so this milestone does not translate into supply any time soon.

For reference

Korea is involved in this field through equipment exports and component supply chains. Construction progress in a neighboring country is also of interest from the standpoint of accident response and information sharing. This paper reports the technical facts and does not address arguments for or against nuclear power.