The CGN Lufeng Nuclear Project is located on the coast in Lufeng, Guangdong province. WANG YAJING/FOR CHINA DAILY

　　Editor's note: As protection of the planet's flora, fauna and resources becomes increasingly important, China Daily is publishing a series of stories to illustrate the country's commitment to safeguarding the natural world.

　　Spend more than a few minutes in the workshop at the CGN Lufeng Nuclear Power Project in Guangdong province, and it is hard to miss the robot dog checking fire safety.

　　At first, it may look almost casual, moving across the concrete floor in an unhurried trot. But once a welding torch flares up, its sensors tell another story. The machine can move close to a hot-work scene, take photos and check whether the operation is being carried out properly — a quiet mechanical watchdog in the welding bay.

　　Its patrol route can be planned according to the upcoming work schedule. Driven by 5G, it can inspect a workshop or a wider plant area on its own, using heat and optical sensing to identify hot-work activities. When its battery runs low, it returns to its charging station by itself.

　　The robot dog is one small part of a broader push at the Lufeng nuclear project to bring artificial intelligence, robotics and digital management tools into nuclear power construction. The technologies are being used not as display pieces, but to help make a large and busy construction site safer, more efficient and easier to manage.

　　The project is China General Nuclear Power Corporation's ninth nuclear power project and the first major nuclear energy project in eastern Guangdong. It is planned to have six million-kilowatt-class pressurized water reactor units.