The Three Gorges Dam, China's landmark water conservancy project on the Yangtze River, was in normal operation despite Monday's strong quake felt in many parts of the country.

The quake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, jolted Wenchuan county of southwestern Sichuan Province at around 2:30 pm on Monday. In the dam area, about 1,000 kilometers from the epicenter, the quake measured about 4.

The dam was designed to withstand quakes up to 7 on the Richter scale, said a spokesman with China Three Gorges Project Corporation on Tuesday.

The company has stepped up surveillance of the dam after the quake, and dismantled some equipment at the power generating plant to minimize risks posed by aftershocks, the spokesman said.

No damage was done so far to the gigantic dam, the five-tier ship lock and 26 turbo-generators, including 22 in operation and four under installation, he said.

By 12 pm on Tuesday, the Three Gorges power generation plant has generated 224 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, including 16.2 billion kilowatt-hours this year.

Water inflow was normal on Tuesday, at about 8,600 cubic meters per second.

Monday's quake was the strongest felt in the dam area since the project was launched in 1993.

The Three Gorges Project will start full-scale operation this year, with all the remaining work, including the installation of a ship lift and the final four turbogenerators on the southern bank, by the end of the year.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2008)