The Jishixia Dam is a concrete face rock-fill embankment dam

Embankment dam

An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...

 on the Yellow River

Yellow River

The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...

 in Qinghai Province, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. It is 101 m (331 ft) tall and downstream from the Gongboxia Dam

Gongboxia Dam

The Gongboxia Dam is a concrete face rock-fill embankment dam on the Yellow River in Longhua County, Qinghai Province, China. The dam supports a 1,500 MW hydroelectric power station....

. The purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and flood control. The dam supports a power station with 3 x 340 MW Francis turbine

Francis turbine

The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....

s for a total installed capacity of 1,020 MW. Construction on the dam began in 2005 and the river was diverted in March 2007. The first generator was operational in mid-2010 and the rest by the end of the year.