Global InformationThree Gorges Dam information
| Three Gorges Dam 三峡大坝 | |
|---|---|
 The dam in September 2009 | |
  Location in Hubei Province  Three Gorges Dam (China) | |
| Country | China |
| Location | Sandouping, Yiling District, Hubei |
| Coordinates | 30°49′23″N 111°00′12″E / 30.82306°N 111.00333°E |
| Purpose | Flood control, power, navigation |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | December 14, 1994 |
| Opening date | 2003[1] |
| Construction cost | ¥203 billion (US$31.765 billion)[2] |
| Owner(s) | China Yangtze Power (subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corporation) |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Gravity dam |
| Impounds | Yangtze River |
| Height | 181 m (594 ft) |
| Length | 2,335 m (7,661 ft) |
| Width (crest) | 40 m (131 ft) |
| Width (base) | 115 m (377 ft) |
| Dam volume | 27.2 million m3 (35.6 million cu yd) |
| Spillway capacity | 116,000 m3/s (4,100,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Three Gorges Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 39.3 km3 (31,900,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 1,084 km2 (419 sq mi)[3] |
| Maximum length | 600 km (370 mi)[4] |
| Normal elevation | 175 m (574 ft) |
| Power Station | |
| Commission date | 2003–2012 |
| Type | Conventional |
| Hydraulic head | Rated: 80.6 m (264 ft) Maximum: 113 m (371 ft)[3] |
| Turbines | 32 × 700 MW 2 × 50 MW Francis-type |
| Installed capacity | 22,500 MW |
| Capacity factor | 45% |
| Annual generation | 101.6 TWh (366 PJ) (2018) |
The Three Gorges Dam (simplified Chinese: 三峡大坝; traditional Chinese: 三峽大壩; pinyin: Sānxiá Dàbà) is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the Yangtze River near Sandouping in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, central China, downstream of the Three Gorges. The world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity (22,500 MW),[5][6] the Three Gorges Dam generates 95±20 TWh of electricity per year on average, depending on the amount of precipitation in the river basin.[7] After the extensive monsoon rainfalls of 2020, the dam's annual production reached nearly 112 TWh, breaking the previous world record of ~103 TWh set by Itaipu Dam in 2016.[8][9]
The dam's body was completed in 2006; the power plant was completed and fully operational by 2012,[10][11] when the last of the main water turbines in the underground plant began production. Each of the main water turbines has a capacity of 700 MW.[12][13] Combining the capacity of the dam's 32 main turbines with the two smaller generators (50 MW each) that provide power to the plant itself, the total electric generating capacity of the Three Gorges Dam is 22,500 MW.[12][14][15] The last major component of the project, the ship lift, was completed in 2015.[16]
In addition to generating electricity, the dam was designed to increase the Yangtze River's shipping capacity. By providing flood storage space, the dam reduces the potential for flooding downstream, which historically plagued the Yangtze Plain. In 1931, floods on the river caused the deaths of up to 4 million people. As a result, China regards the project as a monumental social and economical success,[17] with the design of state-of-the-art large turbines[18] and a move toward limiting greenhouse gas emissions.[19] However, the dam has led to some ecological changes, including an increased risk of landslides,[20][21] which have made it controversial domestically and abroad.[22][23][24][25]
| Three Gorges Dam | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 三峡大坝 | ||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 三峽大壩 | ||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Three Gorges Great Dam | ||||||||||||||
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- ^ Ma, Yue (November 26, 2010). "Three Gorges Dam". large.stanford.edu. Stanford University. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- ^ "Three Gorges Dam Hydro Electric Power Plant, China". Power Technology. February 21, 2020. Archived from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ a b "Three Gorges Project" (PDF). chincold.org.cn. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ Engineering Geology for Society and Territory – Volume 2: Landslide Processes. Springer. 2014. p. 1415. ISBN 978-3-319-09057-3.
- ^ Cleveland, Cutler J.; Morris, Christopher G. (2013). Handbook of Energy: Chronologies, Top Ten Lists, and Word Clouds. Elsevier Science. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-12-417019-3.
- ^ Ehrlich, Robert (2013). Renewable Energy: A First Course. CRC Press. p. 219. ISBN 978-1-4665-9944-4 – via Google Books.
- ^ 三峡工程2018年发电量、过闸货运量刷新历史纪录 [The Three Gorges Project's 2018 power generation and cargo volume through the gate set new historical records]. news.china.com.cn (in Chinese). China News Service. January 10, 2019. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019.
- ^ Kirong, Nephele (January 2, 2021). "China's Three Gorges Dam sets world hydropower production record – China Daily". spglobal.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
- ^ "Itaipu Ends 2016 with a Historic Production of 103.09 Million MWh". Itaipu Bunacional. January 3, 2017. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- ^ 三峡工程最后一台机组结束72小时试运行 [The last unit of the Three Gorges Project has completed its 72-hour test run]. ctg.com.cn (in Chinese). China Three Gorges Corporation. May 24, 2012. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- ^ 三峡地下电站机电设备全面移交投产 [The mechanical and electrical equipment of the Three Gorges Underground Power Station is fully handed over and put into operation]. ctg.com.cn (in Chinese). China Three Gorges Corporation. July 5, 2012. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
- ^ a b Acker, Fabian (March 2, 2009). "Taming the Yangtze". IET magazine. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018.
- ^ 三峡工程左右岸电站26台机组全部投入商业运行 [All 26 units of power stations on left and right banks of the Three Gorges Project have been put into commercial operation]. ctgpc.com.cn (in Chinese). China Three Gorges Corporation. October 30, 2008. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
- ^ "Three Gorges reservoir raises water to target level". news.xinhuanet.com. Xinhua News Agency. October 7, 2008. Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- ^ "Final Turbine at China's Three Gorges Dam Begins Testing". InventorSpot.com. April 27, 2011. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
- ^ 世界最大“升船电梯”三峡大坝试验成功 [The world's largest "ship lift" Three Gorges Dam successfully tested]. news.cnhubei.com (in Chinese). Chutian Jinbao. January 14, 2016. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ 中国长江三峡工程开发总公司 [The Three Gorges Hydropower Station has brought huge economic benefits and the cumulative power generation has exceeded 300 billion kWh]. ctgpc.com.cn (in Chinese). China Three Gorges Corporation. April 8, 2009. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- ^ 中国长江三峡工程开发总公司 [Our country's large-scale hydropower unit manufacturing has reached the world's advanced level]. ctgpc.com.cn (in Chinese). China Three Gorges Corporation. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- ^ 一座自主创新历史丰碑 三峡工程的改革开放之路 [The road to reform and the opening up of the Three Gorges Project, a historical monument of independent innovation] (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. February 3, 2009. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- ^ 重庆云阳长江右岸现360万方滑坡险情-地方-人民网 [There are 3.6 million square meters of landslides on the right bank of the Yangtze River in Yunyang, Chongqing]. People's Daily Online (in Chinese). April 10, 2009. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- ^ 探访三峡库区云阳故陵滑坡险情 [Visiting the Yunyang Guling Landslide Danger in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area] (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. April 9, 2009. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- ^ Yang, Lin (October 12, 2007). "China's Three Gorges Dam Under Fire". Time. Archived from the original on March 31, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
The giant Three Gorges Dam across China's Yangtze River has been mired in controversy ever since it was first proposed
- ^ Laris, Michael (August 17, 1998). "Untamed Waterways Kill Thousands Yearly". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
Officials now use the deadly history of the Yangtze, China's longest river, to justify the country's riskiest and most controversial infrastructure project – the enormous Three Gorges Dam.
- ^ Grant, Stan (June 18, 2005). "Global Challenges: Ecological and Technological Advances Around the World". CNN. Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
China's engineering marvel is unleashing a torrent of criticism. [...] When it comes to global challenges, few are greater or more controversial than the construction of the massive Three Gorges Dam in Central China.
- ^ Gerin, Roseanne (December 11, 2008). "Rolling on A River". Beijing Review. Archived from the original on September 22, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
...the 180-billion yuan ($26.3 billion) Three Gorges Dam project has been highly contentious.