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Yangkou Port in Rudong county, Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

In 2003, the construction of Yangkou Port commenced, marking the fruition of nearly two decades of dedicated efforts by the Rudong county government to establish a scientific foundation for this major infrastructure project. The endeavor involved contributions from over 10 academicians and more than 20 top-tier research institutions, as well as research results totaling nearly 20 million words.

Between 1995 and 2005, Yangkou Port engaged leading port planning and design organizations to draft a master plan. According to the finalized blueprint, Yangkou Port is designed as an offshore deep-water port, featuring a 3-square-kilometer artificial island, a 30-square-kilometer industrial zone, and a 10-kilometer-long Yellow Sea Bridge, with a total investment nearing 2 billion yuan ($275.19 million).

Today, on the artificial Yangguang Island, the PetroChina Jiangsu LNG Terminal stands as the largest energy hub in the Yangtze River Delta region, operating safely for 13 years. Additionally, three new LNG terminals are under construction.

On average, an LNG carrier arrives every four and a half days. Over the past 13 years, Yangkou Port has received over 58 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas from 26 countries and regions, including Qatar, Australia, and Russia.

An employee works at a factory belonging to APP, an Indonesian pulp and paper company. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Within the industrial zone, major projects with investments exceeding 10 billion yuan from companies like APP and Tongkun Group have flourished. The three major industrial sectors—new energy, new materials, and new equipment—are rapidly growing, with 45 enterprises above the designated scale contributing to invoiced sales exceeding 50 billion yuan for the first time last year.