The final phase of concrete placement for the main part of the
mammoth Three Gorges Dam started at 4:00 AM on Friday in the middle
section of the Yangtze River, the longest in China.
The work is due to finish on Saturday, which will mark the
completion of the dam's main wall.
The 185-meter-high and 2,309-meter-long dam, often compared to
the Great Wall in scale, is the world's largest dam built with a
total of 28 million cubic meters (m3) of reinforced
concrete. The last placement involves 1,017.5 m3 of
concrete.
The dam's main wall will measure 184.8 meters in height. The
remaining 0.2 meters has been reserved for building a highway on
the top of the dam.
Situated near the Xiling Gorge, the easternmost gorge of
the Three Gorges, the Three Gorges Project is the largest water
control project in the world.
Initially envisioned by Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of China's
democratic revolution, in 1918, the project underwent protracted
discussion before it was approved by the National People's Congress
(NPC), China's top legislature, in
1992.
Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, with an estimated
investment of 203.9 billion yuan (US$25.2 billion), will have 26
generators with a combined generating capacity of 18.2 million
kilowatts. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2009
and will have a power-generating capability of 84.7 billion kwh of
electricity annually.
The Three Gorges, -- Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling Gorges -- extend
for about 200 kms along the upper reaches of the Yangtze. They have
become a popular world-class tourist destination noted for their
beautiful natural landscapes and historical and cultural
relics.
Apart from generating clean energy, other functions of the
landscape-altering mega project, with a designed water storage
capacity of 39.3 billion m3, include harnessing floods
and enhancing the shipping industry.
A total of 1.13 million people have been relocated as a result
of the project.
(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2006)
