Construction site of the Jiangsu He'neng Qidong Smart Manufacturing Base. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Construction began on the Jiangsu He'neng Qidong Smart Manufacturing Base in the Lyusi Port Economic Development Zone in Qidong on Sept 9.

The project is invested and developed by China Nuclear Industry Fifth Construction, with a total investment of 1.5 billion yuan ($210.6 million yuan). It aims to establish a digitalized smart manufacturing base that integrates research and production.

The facility will feature fully automated logistics, end-to-end automated production lines, and an automated information system, enhanced by a modular design. Together, these innovations are intended to create a true lighthouse factory — a benchmark for advanced manufacturing.

At present, construction drawings are nearly complete, and pile foundation work is underway. Once operational, the base will have an annual production capacity of 2 million metric tons of nuclear power pipelines and supports, as well as 100,000 tons of other nuclear and non-nuclear products, generating 2 billion yuan in taxable sales each year.