Cocotohai Town is located in the Altai Mountains, 48 km northeast of Fuyun County, in the northern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Irtysh River just passed through the town, which is the origin of the town name. The scenery of the Cocoto Sea is not only beautiful, but also the mineral resources around it are rich. Under the beautiful scenery, there is a groundwater power station.
The Cocoto Seawater Power Station is located in the upper reaches of the Irtysh River, 10 km southwest of Fuyun County, Xinjiang. It was started in 1956 and completed in 1976. It took 20 years. At that time, due to factors such as national defense construction, war and secrecy, the hydropower station was hidden in the underground 136 meters, which is rarely known. Few people can see it as "the true face of the mountain."
The Cocoto Sea is a very cold place. The average monthly temperature in summer is less than 20 °C, and the average monthly temperature in winter is below minus 20 degrees. Here, the lowest temperature record of -60 °C has been measured.
This is a well-known but little-known hydropower station. In the decades of construction, thousands of builders have contributed to youth and even life. The Cocoto Seawater Power Station is a miracle in the history of hydropower that builders use to “smash out” under the hard rocky mountains with youth, sweat and life.
The hydropower station is 136 meters underground, and the elevator has to walk for about 2 minutes. From the stairway, it looks down and disappears. There are gaps in the stairway of the hydropower station leading to the mountains, and various birds nest in the caves. When the bird flaps its wings, people in the cave can hear it.
When the construction of this vast project was carried out, more than 2,200 people were used at the most, not only the environment was difficult, but also the food was not good. Three years of natural disasters are difficult to supply food. In the winter, builders only have cabbages and potatoes to eat, or they are steamed, boiled and eaten.
The Cocoto Seawater Power Station was the one with the deepest vertical, the most complete design, the most difficult construction and the most difficult conditions in China. The hydropower station has made great contributions to the development of local rare metals. The annual power generation capacity can reach 210 million kWh. After the completion, the contradiction between the power load increase and the power shortage in the Cocotohai mining area will be alleviated, and the rare metal company will realize “10,000 tons of lithium concentrate, 10,000 tons of silicon carbide and 10,000 tons of mica products”. The goal provides motivation.
To this day, the Cocoto Seawater Power Station is still faintly roaring underground, generating electricity for today's Cocoto Sea. The hydropower station has also been operating safely for nearly half a century, and its mystery has gradually been unveiled.