title: Laxiwa Dam
text: # Laxiwa Dam
  
  The Laxiwa Dam (simplified Chinese: 拉西瓦大坝; traditional Chinese: 拉西瓦大壩; pinyin: Lāxīwǎ Dàbà) is an arch dam on the Yellow River in Qinghai Province, northwest China. It is 32 km (20 mi) downstream of the Longyangxia Dam and 73 km (45 mi) upstream from the Lijiaxia Dam. The main purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it supports the largest station in the Yellow River basin. The facility generates power by utilizing six turbines, each with a generating capacity of 700 MW, totaling to a capacity of 4,200 MW.
  
  ## Construction
  
  By the beginning of 2004, the Yellow River was diverted and in September of that year, excavation on the dam's abutment began. In April 2006, the first concrete was cast and on May 18, 2009, the power plant's first two generators were commissioned. A total of 79,571,000 $m^3$ $(2.8100×10^9$ cu ft) of earth and rock were excavated from the dam site.
  
  