Three Gorges Dam

Three Gorges Dam

As a huge public works project - the largest dam in the world, rivaling the building not only of China's great historical projects such as the Grand Canal and the Great Wall as well as modern projects elsewhere in the world - the Three Gorges Dam project is famous around the world, and also wrapped in environmental, engineering, and political controversy.

The Dam Project Overview

China Yangtze Three Gorges Dam Project (TGP) is one of the biggest hydropower-complex projects in the world. The great dam, as the largest of its kind in the world, will provide China with tremendous power generation and flood control services.

Located in the areas of Xilingxia gorge, one of the three gorges of Yangtze River, the dam will control a drainage area of 1 million square kilometers, with an average annual runoff of 451 billion cubic meters.

Introduction of the Project

The Three Gorges Dam boasts three parts: the dam itself, the hydropower stations and the navigation facility.

Specific Location: It is located in Sandouping, Yiling District, Yichang City, China Hubei Province, at the downstream entrance to Xiling Gorge, 40 kilometers upstream from Gezhouba Dam.

The dam has experienced a total duration of 17 years to be finished, and the construction has been divided into three stages:

First Stage: 1993 – 1997, 5 years, the preparation period and first stage construction;
Second Stage: 1998 – 2003, 6 years, the second stage construction;
Third Stage: 2003 – 2009, 7 years, the third stage construction.