China's Antarctic Qinling Station set for full completion in 2026

This photo taken on December 25, 2024 shows a view of the mountains near China's Qinling Station in Antarctica. Photo: Xinhua

Dozens of construction personnel are participating in China's 42nd Antarctic expedition team, which is currently en route to Antarctica. Their mission is the construction and maintenance of engineering facilities at China's Antarctic Zhongshan and Qinling stations, and to ensure the full completion of China's fifth Antarctic base Qinling Station next February, state broadcaster CCTV News reported on Sunday.

As the construction of Qinling Station enters the final countdown, 22 personnel have rejoined the expedition to team up with members of China's 41st Antarctic Expedition for the construction mission, said the report.

They will advance interior decoration and mechanical and electrical work in the main station area, construct the observation building, and maintain the new energy systems to ensure the station's completion, CCTV News reported.

According to Cao Tao, chief engineer of the South Pole project from China Railway Construction Engineering Group, which has taken on the primary responsibility for the construction, since this construction period coincides with the Antarctic polar day, the construction team will face challenges of continuous daylight, intense ultraviolet radiation, and heavy snowfall, working hard to complete the 42nd Antarctic expedition's task.

To enhance precision and minimize environmental impact, the interior construction of Qinling Station will adopt shipbuilding outfitting techniques, with all prefabricated components assembled on-site in Antarctica.

All the construction materials required for the projects are custom-made, eco-friendly building materials, CCTV News reported.

According to Li Junsheng, a deputy chief engineer from the Command Center for Comprehensive Survey of Natural Resources under China Geological Survey, calcium silicate is relatively stable and very difficult to decompose. The minerals the construction material contains are widely found in nature, so it has minimal impact on the environment, Li told the Global Times on Sunday.

These materials possess an A-level fire resistance rating and moisture resistance capable of withstanding the prolonged dampness of the Antarctic polar night, with a service life of over 50 years, the report said.

Intelligence is the biggest difference between Qinling and China's previous bases, the report said.

Its smart storage system can track materials in real time and automatically send an alert to China when supplies run low, according to the report. The integrated safety platform detects heat, smoke, or harmful gases and sends alarms to team members and the domestic monitoring center within 10 seconds.

During the polar night, technicians in China can remotely adjust temperatures and ventilation at the station, and guide on-site repairs via high-definition cameras to avoid risky night-time operations, CCTV News reported.

Team members will also work to make Zhongshan Station - the Antarctic scientific research information hub - function more efficiently.

According to project manager Zheng Di, once the project is completed, it will greatly improve the real-time transmission speed of Antarctic research data, provide more stable communication support for projects such as glacier observation and atmospheric research, and address the current limitations of the stations' communication capacity.