On February 10, the steel containment vessel top head of Unit 1 at China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)'s Xudapu Nuclear Power Plant in Liaoning province was successfully hoisted into place. This milestone marks the project's full transition from civil construction to the equipment installation phase.

Located at the top of the nuclear island, the top head is the final large module of the steel containment vessel. It is assembled and welded from 64 curved steel plates, with an inner diameter of nearly 40 meters and a height of more than 11 meters. The successful installation paves the way for subsequent equipment installation, commissioning, and grid connection. It also supports the development of China's northernmost nuclear power base and strengthens Liaoning's plan to build an integrated energy hub combining wind, solar, thermal, nuclear, and energy storage.

The Xudapu project is planned to construct six million-kilowatt-class pressurized water reactor units, to be built in phases under one single master plan. With a total installed capacity exceeding 7.6 million kW, the fully completed project will be able to generate nearly 54 billion kWh of clean electricity annually — saving 19.2 million tons of standard coal and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 56.7 million tons each year, equivalent to the annual carbon absorption of 360,000 hectares of forest.