Meet Dashixia's Young Builders as the World's Tallest Concrete-Faced Sand-Gravel Dam Connects to Power Grid

BEIJING, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 29, the first two generator units, No.1 and No.2, of the Dashixia Water Control Project located in the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China, were connected to the power grid and began generating electricity, which marked the official operation of the project. This 247-meter-high concrete-faced sand-gravel dam is the world's highest of its kind among both completed and under-construction dams. It was invested in and built by China Energy Engineering Group. Upon completion, the project will meet the electricity demand of about 600,000 households, deliver 3.42 billion cubic meters of ecological water annually to the Tarim River in Xinjiang, raise downstream flood control standards from once-in-10-year to once-in-50-year, and ensure irrigation for more than 453,333 hectares of farmland.

The Youth Pioneers of Dashixia Project, a three-episode documentary, jointly produced by Xinjiang Radio and Television Station and Xufang International Media under China International Communications Group, has aired at the same time. From the perspective of well-known Venezuelan vlogger Rafael Saavedra, the documentary records the construction stories of the project's main force—the post-90s and post-00s generations. Since 2019, they have taken root in a remote canyon, braving force-14 gales and working around the clock in extreme heat and bitter cold, contributing their youth and professionalism to the construction of this world-class high dam. In the first episode, Eight Years for One Dream, for example, it tells the moving story of young engineer Bai Lin and his team, who solved world-class challenges such as concrete pouring on a 360-meter ultra-long slope. Bai devoted eight youthful years to the dam and today he has become a technical expert.

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/0HYu7Oxa1Ro?si=vuXUX03E1_h3BvgS