Three Gorges Dam
| Three Gorges Dam 三峡大坝 | |
|---|---|
The dam in September 2009 | |
Three Gorges Dam 三峡大坝 Location in Hubei Province Three Gorges Dam 三峡大坝 Three Gorges Dam 三峡大坝 (China) | |
Interactive map of Three Gorges Dam 三峡大坝 | |
| Country | China |
| Location | Sandouping, Yiling District, Hubei |
| Purpose | Flood control, power, navigation |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | December 14, 1994 |
| Opening date | 2003 |
| Construction cost | ¥203 billion (US$31.765 billion) |
| Owner | 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 yd3) |
| 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 mi2) |
| Surface area | 1,084 km2 (419 mi2) |
| Maximum length | 600 km (370 mi) |
| 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) |
| 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, officially known as Yangtze River Three Gorges Water Conservancy Project 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. It is also the world's largest power station by installed capacity (22,500 MW), the Three Gorges Dam generates 95±20 TWh of electricity per year on average, depending on the amount of precipitation in the river basin. After the monsoons of 2020, the dam produced nearly 112 TWh in a year, breaking the record of 103 TWh set by the Itaipu Dam in 2016.
The dam's body, 185 meters high and 2,309 meters wide, was completed in 2006. The power plant became fully operational in 2012, when the last of the 32 main water turbines in the underground plant began production. The last major component of the project, the ship lift, was completed in 2015.
Each of the 32 turbines, considered state-of-the-art at the time of their installation, can generate 700 MW. Combined with two 50 MW generators that power the plant itself, the Three Gorges Dam can generate some 22,500 MW—far more than the next-biggest hydroelectric plant, Brazil's 12,600-MW Itaipu facility.
The dam improves the Yangtze River's shipping capacity and provides flood control, helping to protect millions of people from severe flooding on the Yangtze Plain. Additionally, its hydroelectric power generation has helped fuel China's economic growth. As a result, the Chinese government considers the project a source of national pride and a major social and economic success. However, it is controversial domestically and abroad. Estimates of the number of people displaced by the dam's construction range from 1.13 million to around 1.4 million. Its construction has also inundated ancient and culturally significant sites. In operation, the dam has caused some ecological changes, including an increased risk of landslides.
| Three Gorges Dam | |||||||||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 三峡大坝 | ||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 三峽大壩 | ||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Three Gorges Great Dam | ||||||||||||||
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