Category Archives: Yangtze Power

Things you may not know about the history of the Three Gorges Dam Project

Posted on February 8, 2012 by

(February 8, 2012) Admissions of trouble at Three Gorges Dam by China’s powerful State Council last spring, left many wondering how the behemoth dam ever got off the drawing board. Now, in a first, behind the scenes, account of raw power politics, Guo Yushan from China’s Transition Institute describes how Three Gorges critics were silenced, and China’s power mandarins maneuvered, to build the world’s largest and most troubled dam. Read this translation by Probe International of the article that went viral on China’s Internet. Continue reading →

Posted in China Energy Industry, Dai Qing and Three Gorges, News Coverage About Dai Qing, Probe International in the News, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe, Yangtze Power | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dams gone wrong: Is danger lurking in China’s dams?

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

(August 24, 2011) One of China’s premier investigative news agencies reveals China’s dams “are like ticking time bombs:” beset by disaster, flaws, poor construction, neglect, and fraud. Continue reading →

Posted in China Energy Industry, China's Dams, Cracks in Three Gorges dam, Dams and Earthquakes, Dams and Landslides, Probe International in the News, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe, Yangtze Drought and Pollution, Yangtze Floods and Drought, Yangtze Power | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Yangtze runs dry

Posted on August 18, 2011 by

(August 18, 2011) “The Yangtze River will run dry” because engineers have gone wild, building so many dams that their combined reservoir volume will exceed the Yangtze’s flow, says “A Mighty River Runs Dry,” a new study by geologist Fan Xiao of the Sichuan Geology and Mineral Bureau in China. Because there isn’t enough water in the Yangtze to fill all the dams to their designated capacity, “an enormous waste of money” will result and the losses to China’s economy, 40 per cent of which comes from agriculture, fishing, industry and shipping along the Yangtze, could be staggering. Continue reading →

Posted in Beijing Water, China's Dams, Probe International in the News, South-North Water Diversion Project, Three Gorges Probe, Water Companies, Yangtze Drought and Pollution, Yangtze Floods and Drought, Yangtze Power | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

China’s admission spotlights Three Gorges woes

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

(June 29, 2011) The recent drought and the government’s mea culpa have refocused attention on problems at China’s controversial Three Gorges Dam. “The dam is becoming a symbol of all that is wrong with political decision-making in China,” says Patricia Adams of Probe International. Continue reading →

Posted in China's Dams, Dams and Landslides, Patricia Adams, Probe International in the News, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe, Yangtze Drought and Pollution, Yangtze Floods and Drought, Yangtze Power | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Amid severe drought, Chinese government admits mistakes with Three Gorges Dam

Posted on June 4, 2011 by

(June 4, 2011) The Washington Post features Probe International Fellow Dai Qing and cites Probe International’s expose of a 30-fold increase in earthquakes caused by China’s Three Gorges Dam. Continue reading →

Posted in Beijing Water, China Energy Industry, China's Dams, Chinese Environmentalists, Dai Qing and Three Gorges, Dams and Earthquakes, Interviews with Dai Qing, News Coverage About Dai Qing, Probe International in the News, RIS, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe, Yangtze Floods and Drought, Yangtze Power | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Three Gorges aggravates downstream water shortage

Posted on May 25, 2011 by

(May 25, 2011) Contradicting official claims that the Three Gorges reservoir plays no part in exacerbating the drought in the Yangtze River basin, Ma Jun of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, a non-government organization, told Reuters: “Without the Three Gorges Dam, the water level in the Yangtze would not be that low.” Faced with the downstream drought crisis, Three Gorges officials have been ordered to release water, thus hampering their ability to generate power. Added Ma: “Fundamentally there is a conflict between hydropower generation and water supply, irrigation, and navigation.” Continue reading →

Posted in China Energy Industry, China's Dams, Three Gorges Probe, Yangtze Floods and Drought, Yangtze Power | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

China’s mea culpa: Three Gorges Dam problems must be “solved urgently”

Posted on May 19, 2011 by

(May 19, 2011) Amid power shortages and potential catastrophe, China admits to failings in the Three Gorges Dam. Probe International Fellow Dai Qing responds from Beijing. Continue reading →

Posted in China Energy Industry, China Pollution, China's Dams, Cracks in Three Gorges dam, Dai Qing and Three Gorges, Dams and Earthquakes, Interviews with Dai Qing, News Coverage About Dai Qing, Probe International in the News, RIS, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe, Yangtze Drought and Pollution, Yangtze Power, Zipingpu | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Controversial Three Gorges dam has problems, admits China

Posted on May 19, 2011 by

(May 19, 2011) The world’s largest hydroelectric project was designed to tame the flood-prone Yangtze River and to generate clean energy. But the water is becoming polluted, and regular landslides are making life near the dam dangerous. Three Gorges dam is “a classic case in which government officials exaggerated the benefits and underestimated the risks,” says Patricia Adams of Probe International. Continue reading →

Posted in China Pollution, China's Dams, Probe International in the News, Three Gorges Probe, Yangtze Drought and Pollution, Yangtze Floods and Drought, Yangtze Power | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment