Beijing – October 12, 2026 -- The first two generator units of China's Dashixia Water Control Project in the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, connected to the power grid on September 29 and began generating electricity, marking the project's official operation.
247-meter dam sets height record for its type
The project's concrete-faced sand-gravel dam stands 247 meters high. It is the tallest of its kind among both completed and under-construction dams worldwide. China Energy Engineering Group invested in and built the project.
Completed project to serve 600,000 households and 453,333 hectares of farmland
Once complete, Dashixia will meet the electricity demand of about 600,000 households. It will deliver 3.42 billion cubic meters of ecological water annually to the Tarim River in Xinjiang.
Downstream flood control will rise from a once-in-10-year standard to once-in-50-year. The project will also secure irrigation for more than 453,333 hectares of farmland.
Three-part documentary tracks post-90s and post-00s builders on site
Xinjiang Radio and Television Station and Xufang International Media, under China International Communications Group, produced the three-episode documentary The Youth Pioneers of Dashixia Project. It aired alongside the grid connection. Venezuelan vlogger Rafael Saavedra serves as the narrative guide.
The series follows the post-90s and post-00s generations who have worked in a remote canyon since 2019. Crews faced force-14 gales and worked around the clock in extreme heat and bitter cold.
The first episode, Eight Years for One Dream, profiles engineer Bai Lin and his team. They solved concrete pouring on a 360-meter ultra-long slope. Bai spent eight years on the dam and is now a technical expert.