Major water project starts power generation in China's Xinjiang

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The first batch of generating units of the Dashixia Water Conservancy Project in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was connected to the grid for power generation on Tuesday, its constructor said.

The Dashixia Water Conservancy Project in Aksu Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, September 29, 2026. /China Media Group

Located in Wensu Grand Canyon in Xinjiang's Aksu Prefecture, the 247-meter-high dam of this water conservancy hub is currently the world's highest concrete-faced sand-gravel dam, according to the constructor, China Gezhouba Group Co., Ltd.

When fully operational, the hub can generate over 1.89 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, capable of meeting the electricity needs of approximately 600,000 households.

It will also channel 3.42 billion cubic meters of water to the Tarim River each year, easing water shortages on more than 6.8 million mu (about 450,000 hectares) of farmland, while significantly boosting flood control capacity and greatly advancing agricultural modernization in southern Xinjiang.

During the construction process, blockchain technologies were applied to collect concrete data and manage transportation, making project quality controllable and traceable, noted Song Xiaojian, the project manager.

The Dashixia Water Conservancy Project in Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, August 24, 2026. /VCG

To mitigate the impact of the project on fish, the constructor also invested 65 million yuan (around $9.7 million) in various ecological protection measures, which went into operation ahead of schedule, according to Yang Yanling, who is with the project's quality and environmental protection department.

So far, a total of 141,000 fish have been released through artificial propagation, Yang added.