After China Shenhua Energy already operated several two- and three-section variants of the HXD1, they needed an even much more powerful variant to haul 10,000-tonne coal trains over gradients of 1.2 percent. The first locomotive of the new type was rolled out in 2020 and consists of six sections which can not be operated on their own. The exterior design had been revised from the original HXD1 and according to the manufacturer, also the technical design had been upgraded to be safer and more environmental-friendly. Each section has four axles and an output of 4,800 kW. With a total output of 28,800 kW or 38,600 hp, it is the most powerful locomotive in the world and was designated “Shen 24” due to a total of 24 axles. After the first one, Shenhua ordered twelve more of this type. They are being operated on the line between Shenmu and Shuozhou in the provinces of Shaanxi and Shanxi.