China

China’s “Three Gorges” Dam

Being built along China’s Yangtze River is the Three Gorges hydroelectric dam. It is heralded as the world’s largest hydro-electric project and is said to be completed by 2009. Some Chinese are calling it the “modern Great Wall”. This dam will be 185 metres high and will have a 2 kilometer concrete wall stretching across the world’s third largest river. It is now beginning to fill a reservoir that will be 1.1 kilometers wide and 600 kilometers long. It will be able to fill 40 billion cubic metres of water. The Three Gorges which it currently includes, are the Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and the Xiling Gorge. The reason behind the construction of the Three Gorges is to provide China with inexpensive energy to support and strengthen its economic and social development. The dams will have two power stations that are expected to operate 26 of the world’s largest turbine generators. The total generating capacity of the dam will be 18 200 meg...