The designed head of the generator is 80.6 meters (264 ft). It is five times the size of America’s famous Hoover Dam and generates eleven times as much electricity, vital to millions of Chinese homes and businesses. as2.src = "https://bucket1.mm-syringe.com/prod/injector/injector.1.5.3.js";
[107], During the 2010 South China floods in July, inflows at the Three Gorges Dam reached a peak of 70,000 m3/s (2,500,000 cu ft/s), exceeding the peak during the 1998 Yangtze River Floods. TRENDING: WATCH: Suitcases and Coolers Rolled Into Detroit Voting Center at 4 AM, Brought Into Secure Counting Area. let as2 = document.createElement( "script" ); [89], In 1997, the Three Gorges area had 10% forestation, down from 20% in the 1950s. [70] During an August 2009 flood, the plant first reached its maximum output for a short period. “With hindsight, I think that all those experts who opposed the buildings of the Three Gorges were right,” Zhang said on Radio Free Asia. [citation needed]. This is the first time that Chinese official media mentioned the displacement, seepage, and deformation of the Three Gorges Dam. Construction was completed in December 2007, one year ahead of schedule.
In a July 21, 2020 report, Global Times criticized western media reports on their coverage on their Three Gorge Dam report, accusing them of jumping on with bias, taking their reports out of context, and lacking "basic physics knowledge". I’m not going to quantify the damage, it’s very clear that the collapse would be catastrophic. [131] About 140,000 residents were relocated to other provinces. The region also provides habitats to hundreds of freshwater and terrestrial animal species. Earthfill south dam in foreground with view along main dam. [137], The 600 km (370 mi) long reservoir flooded some 1,300 archaeological sites and altered the appearance of the Three Gorges as the water level rose over 91 m (300 ft). Despite protests by residents and environmentalists, the Three Gorges Dam was completed in 2006 after a 12-year build.
The ship lift must work even if water levels vary by 12 meters (39 ft) on the lower side, and 30 m (98 ft) on the upper side. [96] The Chinese paddlefish is also believed extinct in part due to the dam blocking its migration. This is particularly detrimental to the ecosystem of the region because the Yangtze River basin is home to 361 different fish species and accounts for twenty-seven percent of all endangered freshwater fish species in China. The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, central China, downstream of the Three Gorges. The ship lift is to the right of the dam body with its own designated waterway. A similar separation is used on the downstream side, seen partially in the preceding image. [69] On June 30, 2009, after the river flow rate increased to over 24,000 m3/s, all 28 generators were switched on, producing only 16,100 MW because the head available during flood season is insufficient. View our online Press Pack. [75] Nine provinces and two cities consume power from the dam.
The collapse of the TGD would perhaps be the single largest disaster that could affect the world’s food security because aside from the immediate disaster there would be enormous upward pressure on food prices, putting essential staples out of reach of hundreds of millions of people outside China. In 1958, after the Hundred Flowers Campaign, some engineers who spoke out against the project were imprisoned. Comments are subject to our community guidelines, which can be viewed, A security guard looking at his smartphone while water is released from the Three Gorges Dam, There are fears the dam could collapse releasing a city-destroying tidal wave, The Three Gorges Dam is the biggest in the world holding 39 billion cubic metres of water, Beijing has played down the threat of he massive dam busting, Chongqing locals battle rising flood water on the banks of the Yangtze River, Chongqing has experienced its worst floods in over two decades, as torrential rainfall batters nearly two-thirds of the country, Shops are partially submerged in flood waters on the banks of the Yangtze River as a flood peak passes through the area, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Before the dam was constructed, the maximum freight capacity at the Three Gorges site was 18.0 million tonnes per year.