en.Wedoany.com Reported - China is building the world's highest concrete-faced sand-gravel rockfill dam—the Dashixia Water Control Project in Xinjiang, with a height of 247 meters, located on the Kumarak River at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains. The project's chief engineer, Zhou Junfang, is a recipient of the National May Day Labor Medal. He previously participated in the construction of the Shuibuya Dam, which stands 233 meters tall. "It took me 20 years to bridge that 14-meter gap," he said.

Zhou Junfang's connection with hydropower stations began in 1993, when he worked as a construction technician at the Gaobazhou Hydropower Station on the Qingjiang River in Hubei. He later participated in the construction of the Shuibuya Hydropower Station, a national key project under the Ninth Five-Year Plan, and co-authored two technical documents with expert teams: "Specialized Demonstration of the Shuibuya High Concrete-Faced Rockfill Dam" and "Construction Methods for the Shuibuya Concrete-Faced Rockfill Dam." The Shuibuya Dam was completed and topped out in 2006. Subsequently, Zhou Junfang worked on projects including the Pakistan N-J Hydropower Station, the Sichuan Kajiva Hydropower Station, and the Xinjiang Yulong Kashgar Water Control Project. During the construction of the Kajiva Hydropower Station in the Daliang Mountains of Sichuan, the team overcame challenges such as extreme cold and oxygen deficiency, solving quality control issues for concrete facing at high altitudes. The "Kajiva Concrete-Faced Rockfill Dam Construction Technology," which he co-authored, won the second prize for scientific and technological innovation from the China Construction Enterprise Association, and he personally received the Sichuan Provincial May Day Labor Medal.

The Dashixia Project is one of China's 172 major water conservancy projects, facing extreme conditions such as high slopes, high flood discharge velocities, and high excavation and fill intensity. The region experiences strong winds for over 100 days a year, with temperature differences approaching 60 degrees Celsius. Zhou Junfang led the team in collaboration with institutions including the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Tsinghua University, and Hohai University, conducting 21 research topics and 44 specialized projects. The project employs a digital twin system integrating BIM (Building Information Modeling), GIS (Geographic Information System), and AI (Artificial Intelligence) technologies to enable real-time monitoring of the construction process, addressing issues such as delayed information transmission, lack of data support for decision-making, slow construction progress, and persistently high costs.

Zhou Junfang stated that the project is scheduled for full completion by 2026. Upon completion, it will alleviate spring drought issues for rice cultivation in Wensu County, improve irrigation conditions for Aksu's Bingtangxin apples, and promote the growth of Populus euphratica forests along the Tarim River. The project company has built a staff library and a basketball court on the Gobi Desert site to create working and living conditions for frontline construction workers.