The bid award result for the Phase I nuclear island civil construction of the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute's Laiyang Nuclear Power Project in Shandong Province has been announced. Located in Laiyang City, Shandong Province, the project plans to construct two million-kilowatt CAP1400 pressurized water reactor nuclear power units. The winning bidder is China Nuclear Industry 24 Construction Co., Ltd., with a bid price of 2,472,066,347 yuan.
The project is divided into three contract packages, all secured by China Nuclear Industry 24 Construction Co. The first package covers the civil construction for the nuclear islands of both units. This includes the civil engineering for core facilities such as the reactor building, auxiliary buildings, annex buildings, radioactive waste building, and diesel generator building. It also encompasses ancillary works within the nuclear island area, including foundations for tanks and containers, outdoor pipe trenches, roads, floor slabs, grounding systems, and drainage pipelines. The fabrication and installation of CB, CH, and CS structural modules are included, with the exception of the six major structural modules and the CA31 module. This package also manages backfilling and leveling of over-excavated sections of the main nuclear island building foundations, ground treatment, cushion layers, waterproofing, as well as the maintenance and monitoring of the foundation pits after handover. Additionally, it is responsible for the construction of the site's secondary grid, the procurement, installation, operation, and maintenance of the access control system for the nuclear island construction area and the smart construction site, and concrete pouring for the SC structure of the containment building and within the CA31 module. However, the prefabrication of steel structures within the main nuclear island buildings, the prefabrication, assembly, and installation of the SC structure for the containment building, and the receipt, transport, and hoisting of the CA31 structural module are excluded from this package.
The second package involves the civil construction for the radioactive waste treatment area. This includes buildings such as the Waste Reduction Treatment Center, Decontamination and Hot Repair Workshop along with the Special Vehicle Garage, Comprehensive Laboratory and Radioactive Source Storage Building, and Liquid Effluent Storage Tank Building. It also covers outdoor underground facilities, pipe trenches, roads, and drainage pipelines within this area.
The third package covers the prefabrication of steel structures for the main nuclear island buildings. This includes the prefabrication and supply of steel structures for Buildings 11, 12, 40, 50, and 60. It specifically involves the prefabrication and surface painting of steel components like columns, beams, bracings, roof trusses, staircases, platforms, and cover plates. These prefabricated components will be transported to designated on-site locations after completion.
Reviewing the project scope, the nuclear island civil construction essentially covers the entire chain, from the reactor building to ancillary facilities, outdoor pipeline networks, and steel structure prefabrication. The CAP1400 is a domestically developed million-kilowatt pressurized water reactor model, which imposes precision requirements for civil construction significantly higher than those for conventional industrial buildings. Processes such as concrete pouring for the reactor building, construction of shielding structures, and module hoisting require millimeter-level tolerances for dimensional deviations and concrete quality, representing a different magnitude of precision compared to standard building construction.
Regarding the construction schedule, the First Concrete Date for Unit 1 is tentatively set for June 15, 2027, with Unit 2's FCD following 12 months later. The total construction period for each unit is 54 months, from FCD to commercial operation. FCD signifies the date of the first concrete pour, marking the official start of construction for a nuclear power unit. Based on this schedule, Unit 1 is expected to achieve commercial operation around the end of 2030, with Unit 2 following approximately one year later.
In terms of the selected bidder, China Nuclear Industry 24 Construction Co., Ltd. was ranked first with its bid of 2,472,066,347 yuan. The second-ranked bidder was China Nuclear Industry Huaxing Construction Co., Ltd., with a bid of 2,568,593,938 yuan. Both companies are key players in nuclear power construction under the China National Nuclear Corporation group, with substantial track records in the nuclear power civil construction sector. The bid from China Nuclear Industry 24 Construction Co. was approximately 96.53 million yuan lower than that of Huaxing, a significant difference.
A contract value of 2.47 billion yuan falls within the normal range for the nuclear island civil works of two million-kilowatt nuclear power units. The cost structure for nuclear power civil engineering differs from conventional industrial construction due to higher specifications for reinforcement and concrete, stricter inspection standards, and higher quality assurance levels during construction, all of which are reflected in the project cost.
The Laiyang Nuclear Power Project represents another nuclear initiative on the Jiaodong Peninsula. With the existing Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant already operational, the completion of the Laiyang project will significantly supplement the clean energy supply for Shandong's power grid. As a baseload power source, nuclear power offers stable output, complementing the wind and solar power capacity in Shandong.
The field of nuclear island civil construction has high barriers to entry, with only a few qualified domestic entities capable of undertaking such projects. A strong track record, appropriate qualifications, a robust quality assurance system, and adequate personnel allocation are all essential. The successful bid by China Nuclear Industry 24 Construction Co. for the Laiyang nuclear island civil works consolidates its position in the nuclear power construction market.
The project, involving two units with a 54-month construction period each starting from FCD in 2027, spans nearly five years. The construction rhythm of nuclear projects differs from conventional projects, with quality assurance procedures and nuclear safety regulations integrated throughout the entire process. Each step requires rigorous hold-point inspections and approvals. This five-year cycle tests the construction company's ability to deliver consistent and stable performance.