Twenty-six engineering projects won the Gold Award of the 2016-2017 National Quality Engineering Award for their outstanding quality and use of advanced technologies, China News reported.

The winning projects include a coal-fired power plant in northwest China’s Xinjiang, a spacecraft launch site in southern Hainan province, and a highway-railway bridge in central China, among others.

The power plant in Xinjiang

The 2x660 MW coal-fired power plant was completed by Guodian Longyuan Power Technology and Engineering Co., Ltd. It is located at the bank of the Lop Nur in northern China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

The project saves 385,000 tonnes of water annually by using high-efficacy machines. In addition, the project is the country’s first to apply an intelligent control system into a 660 MW supercritical power plant.

The harsh environment was the largest obstacle to conquer during the construction. Built in the desert, the nearest village is 60 kilometers away. There was no signal before the construction kicked off, and workers had to take a GPS device with them, or else they would lose their way at night.

A rocket is launched at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site

Construction of the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site began in 2009 and was completed in 2014. The launch site saw the maiden flight of Long March 5 and 7 rockets in 2016, and the launch of Tianzhou 1 cargo carrier in 2017.

The site adheres to innovation and international best practices. The builders have used key technologies, including 12 innovative technologies, 26 authorized patents, and created 12 new construction methods during the construction.

Seven single buildings of the project have won the Luban Prize and other prizes in their respective industry. The launch site is an open and cutting-edge facility.

The Yangtze River Highway-Railway Bridge in Huanggang

The Yangtze River Highway-Railway Bridge in Huanggang, central China’s Hubei province, was completed by China Zhongtie Major Bridge Engineering Group Co., Ltd.

The group took a series of measures to ensure and improve the quality of the span, said Liu Ziming, chairperson of the group.

The steel structures of the bridge were made by a bridge factory. In order not to destroy the parts of the bridge, all the wielded structures were checked by using nondestructive testing methods, Liu added.

Many key technologies used to build the bridge have pushed forward China’s bridge building technology, Liu said, mentioning the sea construction technology and the connection of two rotating flyover sections of the bridge.