(December 9, 2001) The Three Gorges Project Corp, says the dam has produced a cumulative total of 100 billion kilowatts of electricty.

The China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation announced Friday its power plant has cumulatively generated 100 billion kwh of electricity by February 10 of this year. The announcement was made by Li Yong’an, general manager of China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation. The Three Gorges Power Plant, where turbo-generators with a combined installed capacity of 9.8 million kw are now operational, along with the Gezhouba Power Plant downstream of the Three Gorges power plant, are capable of generating between 240 million kwh and 250 million kwh of electricity daily, equivalent to 5 percent of the country’s actual daily power consumption, according to Li.

Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, including a 185-meter-high dam and 26 generators, is being built in three stages on the middle reaches of China’s longest river, the Yangtze. The gigantic, multi-functional Three Gorges Project is estimated to cost 180 billion yuan (approximately 21.7 billion U.S. dollars) and will have a combined generating capacity of 18.2 million kw. According to a construction schedule, the Three Gorges Project will be able to generate 84.7 billion kwh of electric power annually when it is completed in 2009. So far, construction has focused on the northern bank of the Yangtze, where all 14 turbo-generators had been installed and started power generation by September 16, last year. Twelve more turbo-generators will be installed on the southern bank of the Yangtze. It is expected that the first generator on the southern bank of the river will begin power production in 2007.

Xinhua, December 9, 2001