File No.__________________


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                                Washington, D.C.

                                    FORM U-57

                 NOTIFICATION OF FOREIGN UTILITY COMPANY STATUS


                        Filed under section 33(a) of the

             Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as amended



             WUHU SHAODA ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LIMITED
                        (Name of foreign utility company)


                               THE AES CORPORATION
    (Name of filing company, if filed on behalf of a foreign utility company)


ITEM 1.

         Foreign  utility  status  is  claimed  by Wuhu  Shaoda  Electric  Power
Development  Company Limited,  ("Wuhu") located in Anhui Province,  the People's
Republic  of China.  Wuhu is the owner and  operator  of a 2x 125 MW  coal-fired
power plant and associated transmission facilities located near Wuxi City, Anhui
Province.  The second unit of this  facility is scheduled to be completed in the
second quarter of 1997.

         Wuhu is a 20 year,  sino-foreign  cooperative joint venture  enterprise
between China Power International Holdings Limited ("China Power"), Anhui Liyuan
Electric  Power  Development  Company  Limited  ("Anhui  Limited"),  Wuhu Energy
Development  Company  Limited ("Wuhu  Energy") and AES China Holding Company (L)
Ltd. ("AES China  Holding").  AES China Holding is a wholly owned  subsidiary of
AES China Generating Co. Ltd. ("AES Chigen").  Each party's respective ownership
interest in Wuhu is as follows:  (i) China Power,  45%, (ii) AES China  Holding,
25%,  (iii) Anhui Liyuan,  20%, and (iv) Wuhu Energy,  10%. The AES  Corporation
owns approximately 48% of AES Chigen's  outstanding voting shares, with the rest
being widely held. No domestic  public-utility company or public utility holding
company owns five percent or more of the outstanding shares of AES Chigen.

ITEM 2.

         Not Applicable.

EXHIBIT A

         Not Applicable.


         The undersigned  company has duly caused this statement to be signed on
its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.




                                        By: WILLIAM R. LURASCHI
                                            -------------------
                                            William R. Luraschi
                                            General Counsel
                                            The AES Corporation
                                            1001 N. 19th Street
                                            Arlington, Virginia  22209
                                            (703) 522-1315


Dated:     September 26, 1996