247-metre Dashixia dam in Xinjiang starts power generation
The first two generating units of the Dashixia Water Control Project in Aksu, in Northwest China's Xinjiang region, were connected to the power grid on Tuesday, Xinhua News Agency reported. At 247 metres, the dam is a record as the world's tallest concrete-faced sand-gravel dam. With 750,000 kilowatts of installed capacity, it is expected to generate 1.893 billion kilowatt-hours annually and supply the Tarim River 3.42 billion cubic metres of ecological water each year.
Source
Global Times (China) · read the original report ↗
Desk check · some claims need care
What the desk checked (5)
- The 247-metre Dashixia dam is the world's tallest concrete-faced sand-gravel dam. — Stated in source as a record; no independent verifying body cited.
- First two generating units were connected to the grid on Tuesday. — Attributed to Xinhua News Agency in the source; exact date not given.
- Total installed capacity of 750,000 kW via three 250,000-kW units; annual output 1.893 billion kWh, enough for about 600,000 households. — Figures appear in source, attributed to Xinhua; internally consistent.
- Reservoir will supply 3.42 billion cubic metres of ecological water to the Tarim River yearly and ease shortages on over 6.8 million mu of farmland. — Attributed to Xinhua; forward-looking projection, not verified.
- Downstream flood-control standard improves from once-in-10-years to once-in-50-years. — Attributed to Xinhua; projection stated without technical documentation.
Analysts’ view opinion
Dashixia is more than an engineering record: the project's own chief engineer describes it as installing a "tap" on the upper Tarim, which is precisely what makes it strategic. By controlling the Kumalak River — the source of nearly three-quarters of the Aksu River's flow — Beijing gains decision power over water allocation across the Tarim basin. Infrastructure that simultaneously delivers power, irrigation and flood protection in southern Xinjiang also functions as an instrument of state capacity and economic stabilisation in a sensitive region.
- The more significant achievement is not the 247-metre height but the demonstrated ability to build an ultra-high dam amid complex geology, heavy sediment and harsh weather — a capability that underpins China's infrastructure export leverage.
- Providing peak-load regulation for four prefecture-level power systems makes this a grid-stability asset in a border region, not merely a generation site.
- Easing shortages across 6.8 million mu of farmland and raising flood protection from a one-in-10-year to a one-in-50-year standard are benefits tied closely to socio-economic stabilisation goals in southern Xinjiang.
- The story notes it is one of 172 major water projects designated by the State Council — signalling central, long-horizon water-security planning rather than a local initiative.
- Wherever upstream flow-control capacity grows, questions about transparency and data-sharing downstream naturally follow — though this story frames the Tarim as an internal basin, not a cross-border dispute.
What to watch — Watch when the full 750,000-kilowatt capacity comes online, and whether the promised ecological replenishment to the Tarim is delivered in practice once the reservoir fills.
The account rests on official sources (Xinhua and the Xinjiang Water Resources Department), the generation and ecological-water figures are projections that remain independently unverified, and the story establishes no defence or cross-border implication whatsoever.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 4 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
China has commissioned the first two generating units of the Dashixia Water Control Project in Aksu, in the Xinjiang region of Northwest China. At 247 metres, the dam is now the world's tallest concrete-faced sand-gravel dam, built on the Kumalak River, a main source of the Aksu River which is a major tributary of the Tarim River. The project is one of 172 major water-saving and water supply projects identified by China's State Council, and is designed to combine hydropower, irrigation, ecological water flows and flood control for southern Xinjiang.
Key facts
- The dam is 247 metres high — described as tall as an 80-storey building — a record as the world's tallest concrete-faced sand-gravel dam.
- The first two generating units were connected to the power grid on Tuesday, per Xinhua News Agency.
- Total installed capacity is 750,000 kilowatts, with three 250,000-kilowatt hydroelectric generating units.
- Expected annual generation is 1.893 billion kilowatt-hours, enough to supply about 600,000 households for a year.
- The reservoir controls the Kumalak River, which has an average annual runoff of 4.879 billion cubic metres and supplies nearly three-quarters of the Aksu River's flow.
- It will provide 3.42 billion cubic metres of ecological water replenishment to the Tarim River each year.
- It will help relieve water shortages affecting more than 6.8 million mu of farmland in the Aksu River basin.
- Flood-control standard of downstream river channels improves from once-in-10-years to once-in-50-years events.
Timeline
- Before commissioning (date not stated in the source)Construction under harsh conditions — dry and windy weather, complex geology, high river sediment — using digital management systems for precise installation of key components.
- Before grid connection (date not stated in the source)Trial operations showed stable performance in key indicators.
- Tuesday (calendar date not stated in the source)First two generating units connected to the power grid; the project begins power generation.
- Once fully operational (date not stated in the source)Full generation of 1.893 billion kWh a year, 3.42 billion cubic metres of ecological water to the Tarim River, and upgraded flood protection.
Who has a stake
- Southern Xinjiang residents and households — Electricity supply — output equivalent to a year's power for about 600,000 households — and protection from once-devastating floods.
- Farmers in the Aksu River basin — Relief from water shortages affecting more than 6.8 million mu of farmland.
- Tarim River ecosystem — 3.42 billion cubic metres of ecological water replenishment each year.
- China's State Council — Dashixia is one of the 172 major water-saving and water supply projects it identified.
- Xinjiang Water Resources Department — Says devastating floods will become a calm reservoir and clean electricity will light up households, building a more harmonious relationship between people and water.
- Power systems of four prefecture-level areas in southern Xinjiang — Peak-load regulation support to ease regional electricity supply pressures.
- Project engineers (chief engineer Zhou Junfang; expert Deng Bowen) — Technical credibility of building an ultra-high dam under high water heads and heavy sediment conditions.
Why it matters
Dashixia shows how a single structure is being used to bundle hydropower, irrigation, ecological flows and flood control in an arid, water-scarce region, while setting a global engineering record for concrete-faced sand-gravel dams. Because it sits on the upper reaches of the Tarim River system — the chief engineer calls it a "tap" — it gives China strong control over water allocation in southern Xinjiang. For readers tracking transboundary and river-basin water politics in Asia, large upstream storage projects are a recurring strategic and ecological theme.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- Dashixia Water Control Project: located in Aksu, Xinjiang, Northwest China; world's tallest concrete-faced sand-gravel dam at 247 m.
- River sequence: Kumalak River → Aksu River (major tributary) → Tarim River; Kumalak supplies nearly three-quarters of Aksu River flow.
- Installed capacity 750,000 kW via three units of 250,000 kW each; annual generation 1.893 billion kWh.
- Annual ecological water replenishment to Tarim River: 3.42 billion cubic metres.
- One of 172 major water-saving and water supply projects identified by China's State Council.
- Flood-control standard upgraded from a 1-in-10-year to a 1-in-50-year event; water sourced from the Tianshan Mountains.
Mains framing
The Dashixia project illustrates the multi-purpose dam model applied to an arid inland basin: water from the Tianshan Mountains is converted into electricity, irrigation supply, ecological flows and flood buffering for southern Xinjiang. The drivers are clear from the source — chronic water scarcity constraining agriculture and ecological protection, recurrent flooding on downstream channels, and electricity supply pressure in four prefecture-level areas that the plant will support through peak-load regulation. The engineering implications are equally notable: as expert Deng Bowen notes, greater dam height means higher water pressure and stricter demands on structural stability, seepage control and long-term operation, compounded by complex geology and heavy sediment loads, which required digital management systems and new solutions for running large units under high heads. The implications are, however, double-edged: concentrating control of the upper reaches of the Tarim system in one reservoir — the chief engineer's "tap" metaphor — makes downstream water availability a matter of operational decisions, while high sediment levels raise long-run questions about reservoir performance. The way forward indicated by the source lies in sustained monitoring of key indicators, guaranteed ecological releases of 3.42 billion cubic metres a year, and using the project to pair flood safety with clean power — what the Xinjiang Water Resources Department frames as a more harmonious relationship between people and water.
Key terms
- Concrete-faced sand-gravel dam
- A dam built of sand and gravel fill with a concrete facing on the upstream side; Dashixia at 247 m is the world's tallest of this type.
- Tarim River
- Major river system of southern Xinjiang; Dashixia will send it 3.42 billion cubic metres of ecological water a year.
- Kumalak River
- River controlled by the Dashixia reservoir; average annual runoff 4.879 billion cubic metres and nearly three-quarters of the Aksu River's flow.
- Peak-load regulation
- Adjusting generation to meet demand peaks; Dashixia will do this for four prefecture-level areas in southern Xinjiang.
- Mu
- Chinese unit of land area; the project is to ease water shortages on more than 6.8 million mu of farmland in the Aksu basin.
- 172 major water projects
- A list of key water-saving and water supply projects identified by China's State Council, which includes Dashixia.
Practice questions
- Multi-purpose river valley projects are defended as instruments of water security and criticised for ecological and downstream risks. Examine with reference to the Dashixia project on the Kumalak River.
- What technical challenges arise in building ultra-high dams in arid, seismically and geologically complex regions with high sediment loads? Discuss with examples from the source.
- Upstream storage on shared river systems has strategic as well as developmental dimensions. Comment.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.