"One must have the nail-driving spirit: hammer after hammer, nail after nail, drive the nails firmly and do things solidly." Liu Shandong, project manager of the Huadian Kashgar Project of the Northwest Company of SEPCO1, not only dares to be the hammer-wielding "nail driver" with the perseverance to see things through solidly, but is also willing to be a nail rooted in the rock, showing indomitable tenacity through countless trials. Temporarily assigned in June 2024, this man from Shandong boarded a flight the very next day, carrying in his luggage, besides a stack of engineering drawings, several packs of jianbing that his wife and child had stuffed into his bag. A "power-construction rivet" from Shandong was thus driven in beside the foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, into the vast northwestern desert, and at the foot of the Pamir Plateau.

Iron-Willed Assault: The Contest Between Quality and Time

"It can't be done this way—hurry up!" he urged while rapidly working out a solution in his mind. The tight schedule set his heart ablaze with anxiety, and the northwestern sun over Kashgar, beating straight down through cloudless sky, added to the scorching tension. But the responsibility on his shoulders told him he must stay calm and composed. He rolled up his sleeve, wiped the sweat streaming freely down his sun-reddened cheeks, and his fingers flew across the phone screen to make a call.

This was July 2024, at the start of the Huadian Kashgar Project. With personnel and teams not yet fully in place, the owner issued the project department its first major task—building the main road and the project gateway. Although manpower and various resources were extremely scarce at the moment, he set a military order for himself: either don't do it, or do it well—this must be done beautifully, to give the project a strong start and set a good main tone. With no machinery, he contacted sister units to borrow equipment; short of manpower, he personally coordinated with labor companies to arrange teams; with sandstorms raging, he took the lead patrolling and guarding the site at night. By day, he braved 40°C heat shuttling between survey points and the temporary command post; late at night, he wrapped himself in a coat checking construction plans, with hundreds of unread family messages stored on his phone.

A week later, the straight road ran through to connect the project, and the gate stood towering. When the owner's representative inspected and accepted it, he exclaimed in amazement: "This speed was nailed out by the rivet spirit!" He said: the owner's contract requires us to deliver, the duties of our posts require us to do well, and the reverence in our hearts requires us to do it to perfection.

Cohesion: The "Anchoring Star" Behind the Team

"If employees give their hearts to the project, the project must root itself in their hearts." He is like the "patriarch" of the whole project, carefully looking after every member. He said that the problems and difficulties employees encounter in daily life must be taken seriously and effectively resolved, so that they have no worries and can devote themselves to work with undivided attention. To this end, he established a "three-tier appeal response mechanism": the living committee collects suggestions weekly, the logistics task force implements rectifications within 48 hours, and management conducts monthly satisfaction surveys. For canteen management, he introduced "star-rated dish selection," eliminating bottom-ranked dishes at a rate as high as 30%. Today the canteen updates its menu weekly—a steaming bowl of Shandong dalu noodles, a few plates of northwestern liangpi tossed in red chili oil—bringing a rich sense of everyday life to the desert.

He gave his utmost sincerity, and the employees repaid him with dedication. Everyone holds themselves to high standards and strict requirements, absolutely obeys the instructions of the project leadership, and fully implements the list of 456 professional standards. Through professional capabilities and management methods, they achieved a 100% training rate and a 100% execution rate. With discipline like horses gagged and bits in place, and orders strictly obeyed, they forged a strong fighting force that "strives for perfection and pursues excellence."

A Promise Weighs a Thousand Jun: Integrity Pours the Milestone

"Never make a promise lightly; once made, it must be kept"—this is his life motto. Whether facing the owner's supervisors or project staff, promises made must be honored. When two subcontractors were locked in dispute over equipment allocation, he rushed to the site immediately and chaired a coordination meeting amid swirling sandstorms: "Today we go all out to guarantee the concrete pouring; tomorrow I will be responsible for allocating three pump trucks in support!" At dawn the next day, three brand-new pump trucks roared into the site on time, and both disputing parties were utterly convinced.

He is even more solemn about contract performance. Facing delayed drawings and a tight schedule, watching the countdown approach day by day, he worked day and night sorting out various solutions and finally proposed adopting the new ringlock scaffolding process. He convened a professional team to repeatedly demonstrate the construction plan, and practice verified that this process effectively accelerated progress and won valuable time for the project. Under his lead-by-example leadership, project milestones were achieved one after another: on July 28, 2024, the first concrete pour for the main powerhouse; on November 16, 2024, the boiler foundation reached zero level; on November 19, 2024, the ash silo foundation construction was completed; on January 10, 2025, the main powerhouse foundation was completed; and on February 28, 2025, the second tier (third section) of the boiler steel structure was hoisted into place. At the commendation meeting, the owner remarked with emotion: "Every promise made by the power-construction people is a weighty guarantee."

Ever-Bright Galaxy: Watching Over the Depths of the Desert

"Once we light up this northwestern land, I'll go home and watch the stars with you." In the video call, he gently touched the smiling faces of his wife and child on the screen, tenderness rising in his eyes. The longing from three thousand li away became the driving force to overcome difficulties. Whenever he heard his son say proudly, "My dad is a power-construction worker building the frontier," or his parents tell the neighbors, "My child is striving for the country's energy projects," he became all the more determined: "I must repay my family's waiting with real achievements!" The Huadian Kashgar Project has completed the project approval applications for four 2025 science and technology projects, aiming to "build a first-class project, create a national excellent project, and forge a benchmark project for the company," guided by the "seven-step" quality management approach and strictly implementing the standard of "sample leads the way, achieve excellence in one pass." Through advance planning and process control, on-site management has achieved remarkable results, creating many highlights and earning high praise from the owner and leaders at all levels.

From the land of Qilu to the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, Liu Shandong, carrying his family's entrustment, has taken root in the Gobi, pouring the energy artery with his sweat and guarding the lights of countless homes with his original aspiration. Just as he said: longing is a soft spot, and even more, armor. Every step of the power-construction people adds radiance to the "pillars of the nation."