Today, the first batch of units of the Xinjiang Dashixia Water Conservancy Project, the world’s tallest concrete-faced gravel dam, was officially connected to the grid to generate electricity, and the project has fully entered the grid-connected operation stage.
Xinjiang Dashixia Water Conservancy Project
The first batch of units connected to the grid to generate electricity
CCTV reporter Zhang Wei:At the Dashixia Water Conservancy Project site in the Aksu region of Xinjiang, as Units 1 and 2 completed their 72-hour trial operation, the first batch of units were officially connected to the grid for power generation. The clean energy generated by the unit will be sent to Aksu 750 kV substation through nearly 200 kilometers of transmission lines and connected to the main grid of the State Grid to provide stable and reliable clean power to the local area.
The Dashixia Water Conservancy Project is located in the Dashixia Canyon in the middle and lower reaches of the Kumarak River in the Aksu region of Xinjiang in the west of the Tianshan Mountains.
Chen Gang, head of China Energy Construction Gezhouba Group:The Dashixia Water Conservancy Project has four major functions: ecology, flood control, irrigation and power generation, providing 1.89 billion kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually to the four states in southern Xinjiang.
The Aksu region downstream of the Dashixia Water Conservancy Project is an important agricultural area in Xinjiang. It is rich in paper-bark walnuts, apples, red dates, rice, etc., and requires large amounts of water for agricultural irrigation. The dam of the hub project is 247 meters high, making it the highest concrete-faced gravel dam built or under construction in the world. The normal water storage level is 1,700 meters and the total designed storage capacity is 1.17 billion cubic meters, which is equivalent to the water storage capacity of more than 80 West Lakes. It will provide a stable water source for regional agricultural irrigation.
At present, the first batch of Units 1 and 2 have been put into operation to generate electricity. The in-plant tests of Unit 3 have been completed. Network-related tests are being carried out in an orderly manner. All three units will be put into operation before the end of the year.
Technological innovation solves problems in ultra-high dam construction
The Dashixia Water Conservancy Project is constructed in the Dashixia Canyon in the middle and lower reaches of the Kumarak River. It is an earthquake-prone area and the geological conditions of the dam site are complex. The hub project uses “intelligent construction” to solve a series of world-class problems such as high seismic intensity, high slopes, and high flood discharge velocity.
The construction area of the Dashi Gorge project has a harsh natural environment and extremely difficult construction. The maximum wind force in the area reaches level 14, and the extreme temperature difference range is large. The maximum temperature is 39.5℃, the minimum temperature is -22℃, and the maximum temperature difference between day and night is 15℃. It also faces multiple construction challenges such as complex terrain and geology.
Zhou Junfang, chief engineer of Dashixia Water Conservancy Project:In response to the challenge of high seismic intensity, we deployed 3,252 sets of seismic columns and geogrids with a layer thickness of 2.4 meters in the dam body. Together with the concrete frame beams behind the dam, we “weave” the loose rockfill into a tightly interlocked and stable body.
The digital twin smart center of the project construction integrates advanced technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, virtual simulation, and blockchain. Through 360-degree lenses throughout various construction sites, as well as thousands of sensors mounted on various equipment and internal and external monitoring points of the project, it realizes intelligent management of the entire life cycle from project construction management to scientific dispatch of water resources.
Chen Gang, head of China Energy Construction Gezhouba Group:More than ten smart construction technologies have successfully overcome a series of world-class problems such as ultra-high dam construction, high slope stabilization, high seismic intensity fortification, high flood discharge velocity, and high excavation and filling intensity. They have explored a complete set of construction technologies adapted to special conditions and paved an innovative path for similar project construction.
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