The first turbine generator on the right bank of China's largest hydropower project, the Three Gorges Project, starts operation on Monday after a 72-hour trial operation.

The 700,000-kilowatt No. 22 turbine began producing electricity at 9:12 AM. The electricity is transmitted to the state power grid.

The No. 22 turbine has become the first of the 12 turbines of the gigantic project to be put into use on the right bank of the Three Gorges, at the middle section of the Yangtze River, China's longest.

The installation of 10 other turbines on the right bank is also under way, according to the company.

The 14 turbines on the left bank of the Gorges began operation in September 2005. By May, they had produced 160 billion kwh of electricity for power-thirsty cities in central, eastern and southern China.

The US$22.5-billion project was launched in 1993 in the midsection of the Yangtze River, China's longest. Its 26 turbo-generators are designed to eventually produce 84.7 billion kwh of electricity a year after completion in 2008.

(Xinhua News Agency June 11, 2007)