(February 24, 2006) The ship lock at the dam is on schedule to begin operating in June, 2003, when the reservoir begins to store water, Xinhua news agency reports.

With most of the construction work wrapped up on the permanent ship lock of the Three Gorges Project, formal operation of the lock should begin on schedule in June 2003, according to an official with the China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation. The 1,607-meter lock is located on the northern bank of the Yangtze, China’s longest river. The lock is necessary for ensuring navigation of ships and boats when the Three Gorges Project starts to store water in 2003. According to the official, the construction of the ship lock will be finished by June 2002 and the facility will be put into operation in June 2003 when the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydropower project, begins to store water.

Xinhua news agency, February 24, 2006