Eight new projects will be launched this year at the Three Gorges area, according to a recent news release on the invitation of bids held in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.

The eight projects are as follows:

• Filling the three-stage isolating dam at the upper reach of the Yangtze River. The designed fill volume is 7 million cubic meters (9.16 million cubic yards). The Three Gorges Project Development Corporation plans to finish the bid invitation by June and start construction in July.

• Construction and installation of a floating navigation dam and floating wharf. The floating navigation dam will be 120 meters (131 yards) long, 10 meters (10.9 yards) wide and 3.5 meters (3.8 yards) high, while the floating wharf will be 90 meters (98.4 yards) long, 13 meters (14.2 yards) wide and 3.6 meters (3.9 yards) high.

• Trial run of a permanent ship lock in water. From April to June, the purchasing and installation of water supply and drainage system and pump plant system should be finished.

• Bridge crossing the tailwater channel of underground hydropower station as part of the right bank road leading to the construction site. The bridge will be 135 meters (147.6 yards) long and can bear a load of 600 tons. The project will be started in the third quarter of the year. Now the work plan is being studied.

• Dam of open diversion canal and cofferdam of earth and stone. The bid for it is in April and the project will be started by June.

• Cofferdam of the third-stage concrete rolling over. The bid is in April and the project will be started by the end of the year.

• Third-stage construction of the principal part of the Three Gorges Project. The bidding papers have been distributed and the construction will be started by the end of the year.

• Purchasing and installation of auxiliary electromechanical equipment in the left bank power station at the second stage. This includes telecommunication system, high- and low-voltage air compression system, oil pump and smoke filter of the oil system, heating and ventilation system and firefighting system.

Year 2002 is critical to the 3-year storm fortifications of the Three Gorges Project. In this year, an investment of 20.216 billion yuan (US$2.45 billion) will be put into the pivots, transmission and submission project and resettling of residents in this area, the largest sum since the Three Gorges Project was launched 10 years ago.

The Three Gorges Project plans to invite 79 bids this year, involving 5.28 billion yuan (US$638.7 million). Of them, 24 bids exceed 30 million yuan (US$3.63 million) each, which are mainly the resettlement of residents and purchasing of equipment and commodities. Twelve projects will be open for bids, with a total estimated bidding sum of 4.77 billion yuan (US$577 million), while the other 12 for invitation bids, involving 370 million yuan (US$44.76 million).

If categorized according to characteristics of each bid, 40 are in construction and installation, 30 are in purchasing of electromechanical equipment, five are commodity purchasing and four are in other kinds.

(新华社 [Xinhua News Agency], translated by Li Jinhui for China.org.cn, April 24, 2002)