# Three Gorges Dam



## Mr. Met (Jan 9, 2008)

The Three Gorges Dam is the biggest dam in the world and is changing China's environment for the better and worse. It is one of the many dams that have been built, under construction, or proposed in china.


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 2, 2006)

Where I can find pictures of this dam? If anyone has them, please post them here.


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## xXFallenXx (Jun 15, 2007)

I saw it in person last summer.
Pictures don't do it justice, it's much bigger in person.
Taken by THOMASJEFFERSONRUSSELL:


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## fettekatz (Oct 17, 2007)

it's an amazing project... the environmental impact is not so nice though


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## snow is red (May 7, 2007)

fettekatz said:


> it's an amazing project... the environmental impact is not so nice though


Three Gorges helps avoid 191m tons of greenhouse gas
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-21 19:57


SHANGHAI -- China's Three Gorges Project, the world's biggest hydroelectric plant, helped the country avoid emitting 191.3 million tons of carbon dioxide and 1.16 million tons of sulphur dioxide as at the end of last month, officials said here Friday.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the government's top economic planner, said that the plant had generated 203.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity since its first generating units began operation in 2003.

Hao Weiping, chief of the power section of the Energy Bureau of the NDRC, said Chinese coal-fired power plants would have burned about 73.35 million tons of coal to produce the same amount of electricity.

The Three Gorges Project will be able to generate 84.7 billion kwh of electricity annually when it is completed at the end of 2008, or the equivalent of 50 million tons of coal, said the China Three Gorges Corporation, the developer and operator of the dam project.

Burning 50 million tons of coal would produce 100 million tons of carbon dioxide, the company said.

The plant is expected to produce 63.7 billion kwh of electricity in 2007, which is equivalent to two-thirds of the electricity consumption of Shanghai, the country's biggest city.

The $22.5-billion project was launched in 1993 in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest. Its 26 turbo-generators are designed to produce 84.7 billion kwh of electricity a year after its scheduled completion in 2008.

Currently, 19 turbines have been put into operation with a total installed capacity of 13.3 million kilowatts.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-12/21/content_6340333.htm


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Yep, it works both ways. Especially in an coal-dependent country as China.


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## africa500 (Apr 23, 2006)

More pîctures please


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## xXFallenXx (Jun 15, 2007)

Taken by teynmar:








Taken by wilbeman:


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## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)




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## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)

190m high, 2305m long.


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## Mr. Met (Jan 9, 2008)

You can see how wide the river got after the construction


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## Mr. Met (Jan 9, 2008)

Does anybody have any knowledge about any other dams in China, like the Xiluodo Dam?


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## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)

Mr. Met said:


> Does anybody have any knowledge about any other dams in China, like the Xiluodo Dam?


second largest dam is gezhouba dam. never heard of xiluodo dam
this is gezhouba


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## Huhu (Jun 5, 2004)

^^ Wow such a large urban build up immediately downstream from a large dam...


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## Mr. Met (Jan 9, 2008)

any other dams other dams under construction in china?


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## Mr. Met (Jan 9, 2008)

The Three Gorges Dam will build up water behind it thus making the river there deeper. The deeper water will allow larger vessels to travel down the river. They will make a set of locks so ocean vessels can get behind the dam and travel up the river. We may see more communities start to be built there now that it is easier to ship there. Also, the Three Gorges Dam is so heavy that it knocked the Earth off its axis by about .01 seconds. That isn't much, but it is crazy.


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## Mercutio (Oct 15, 2004)

Mr. Met said:


> Does anybody have any knowledge about any other dams in China, like the Xiluodo Dam?


There is a comprehensive list on Wikipedia concerning this issue. The list may be incomplete and wrong though. For example, the Xiluodu Dam was completely cancelled due to environmental concerns. However, a new scheme on the same river is currently being worked out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectricity#Major_schemes_in_progress


Although, the list is partly wrong, the overall scale remains very impressive!

_Those 12 dams in China will have a total generating capacity of 89,400 MW (89.4 GW) when completed. For comparison purposes, in 2006 the total capacity of hydroelectric generators in Brazil, the third country by hydroelectric capacity, was 69,080 MW (69.08 GW)._



The Longtan Dam (龙滩水电站) with a power capacity of 6,300 MW is said to become the tallest Dam in the world at 192 metres!


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## null (Dec 11, 2002)

Mr. Met said:


> Does anybody have any knowledge about any other dams in China, like the Xiluodo Dam?



it's U/C,and will be finished by 2015

Xiluodu Dam（溪洛渡大坝),the 2nd BIGGEST DAM in China

Rednering










U/C photos:

http://co.163.com/forum/content/1677_552309_1.htm

China has the MOST DAMS in the world:

China:25,000 dams

Rest of World:20,000 dams


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## Mercutio (Oct 15, 2004)

Oh, I thought the project was cancelled but I just noticed that the article I was referring to (I found it while searching for Xiluodu Dam) was talking about another dam. I skipped the last few paragraphs…


*China abandons plans for huge dam on Yangtze*

_ It has also pressed on with the launch of the country's second largest hydropower plant, known as the *Xiluodu*, also on the Jinsha river._
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2233043,00.html


Very impressive, Xiluodu Dam will add approximately 12,600 MW to the Chinese power grit, which equates to the power generated by a few mid-sized nuclear power plants!



It also seems the wikipedia article, stating that Longtan Dam will be the tallest in the world, is wrong.

_The dam, at 192 meters, is said to be the tallest in the world._
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longtan_dam

It contradicts with this article…

*List of world's tallest dams*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_world's_tallest_dams



So much for relying on wikipedia...


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## Mr. Met (Jan 9, 2008)

it said that the list was incomplete


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## null (Dec 11, 2002)

A study by the World Commission on Dams placed China's large dam total at over 22,000—the most in the world. Large dams are those roughly four stories or taller. Most of China's were built after 1949. And as the study points out, that translates into one large dam built per day, every day since the emergence of modern China.

Overall, China is believed to have more than 80,000 dams. Flood control and irrigation are China's top two purposes for building large dams like the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River and the Xiaolangdi Dam on the Yellow River.

The United States has about 75,000 total dams (over 25 feet high). According to the Association of Dam Safety Officials the average number of dams per state is 1,800. Kansas leads all states with about 9,900 dams.


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## Huhu (Jun 5, 2004)

^^ Needed a lot of concrete that's for sure. But I'm certain that there's a wide discrepancy in the sizes of the dams.


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## Mr. Met (Jan 9, 2008)

any updates on the Xiluodu dam?


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## Kailyas (Nov 23, 2007)

Three Gorges Dam is super dam and I sure will boost China's economy.


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## hoosier (Apr 11, 2007)

The Three Gorges Dam was a total waste of money- it has turned the Yangtze into the world's largest open air sewer and there are no effective plans to deal with the massive buildup of silt the dam is causing, besides building even more dams upstream.

China needs to focus on wind and solar energy instead of destroying all of its ecosystems. The economic loss due to environmental destruction cancels out the GNP growth of China.


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## The Cebuano Exultor (Aug 1, 2005)

*@ hoosier*



> it has turned the Yangtze into the world's largest open air sewer


^^ This sounds more like a prediction rather than a fact. Seriously! :yes:


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## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)

hoosier said:


> The Three Gorges Dam was a total waste of money- it has turned the Yangtze into the world's largest open air sewer and there are no effective plans to deal with the massive buildup of silt the dam is causing, besides building even more dams upstream.
> 
> China needs to focus on wind and solar energy instead of destroying all of its ecosystems. The economic loss due to environmental destruction cancels out the GNP growth of China.


then three goges dam another bad thing from china?


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## The Cebuano Exultor (Aug 1, 2005)

*@ oliver999*

Just do not mind *hoosier*. He/she's just trolling around this thread.


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## big-dog (Mar 11, 2007)

hoosier said:


> The Three Gorges Dam was a total waste of money- it has turned the Yangtze into the world's largest open air sewer and there are no effective plans to deal with the massive buildup of silt the dam is causing, besides building even more dams upstream.
> 
> China needs to focus on wind and solar energy instead of destroying all of its ecosystems. The economic loss due to environmental destruction cancels out the GNP growth of China.


"total waste of money", "destroy all of the ecosystem", "cancel out the GNP growth" ...

obviously you forgot to mention human rights :lol:


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## snow is red (May 7, 2007)

*Developer: Three Gorges Project to begin full operation this year*

YICHANG, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Three Gorges Project will start full-scale operation this year, its developer announced hereon Tuesday. 

Addressing an ongoing corporate work conference in Hubei Province, Li Yong'an, China Three Gorges Project Corporation (CTGPC) general manager, said principal work would be completed in late 2008, one year ahead of schedule. 

He said workers had finished all transmission facilities and would fully complete the relocation task before the summer flood season starts on the Yangtze River. They have been installing a ship lift and the final five turbo generators, all of which are on the river's southern bank. 

The Three Gorges, which consist of the Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling gorges, extends for about 200 kilometers on the upper and middle reaches of the river. They are a popular tourist destination, known for their natural beauty and historical and cultural relics. 

China launched the Three Gorges Project, a multifunction water control facility, in 1993, with a budget of 22.5 billion U.S. dollars. 

According to the original plan, the project requires the construction of key facilities, including a gigantic dam, a five-tier lock, a ship lift and 26 turbo-generators. It has involved the relocation of at least 1.2 million residents. 

The 26 turbo generators -- 14 on the northern bank and 12 on the southern bank -- have a designed annual capacity of 84.7 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. 

The project is intended to reduce the threat of floods on the Yangtze from once every 10 years to once every 100 years. 

To date, workers have completed installation of 21 generators on both banks of the Yangtze, according to Li. 

Last year, CTGPC generated 77.07 billion kwh of electricity and recorded 12.94 billion yuan (about 1.77 billion US dollars) in profit, 78 percent more than the targeted profit. It plans to generate 88.15 billion kwh of hydropower this year, with a profit target of 12.46 billion yuan. 

CTGPC, which has come into being for the sole purpose of developing the world's biggest hydropower plant on the middle reaches of the Yangtze, began to diversify its fields of business through the financial market in 2004. 

The company has seen its fields of business expand from hydropower development to sectors of nuclear power and wind power. 

Li said 38.1 billion yuan, or nearly one-third of his corporation's profit last year, came from the company's diversified investment portfolios other than the Yangtze hydropower development. 

A 50,000-kilowatt wind power generation program in Cixi city of eastern Zhejiang Province, which was invested by CTGPC, has been put into operation after over two year's construction. 

Another 200,000-kilowatt wind power generation program invested by the corporation in Xiangshui county in eastern Jiangsu Province got permission for construction from the National Development and Reform Commission last December. 

The corporation was also granted approval to develop a 2.4 million kilowatt program of Tianhuangping Pump Storage Power Station in Anji county of Zhejiang Province.


Editor 

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/19/content_7632338.htm


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## bobafett (Dec 1, 2007)

Hi folks!, I'm interested in Xiluodu dam, Wikipedia says it'll be 12.600 MW, the third largest in the world. Do you know where is it exactly (coordinates)?? I could not even localize Jinsha river!











Actually I think the main problem with China is gathering updated and detailed info, there's an unacceptable lack, even on the internet. And language doesn't help, too.


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## bobafett (Dec 1, 2007)

I've found something....

http://co.163.com/forum/content/1677_552309_1.htm


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## bobafett (Dec 1, 2007)

I've found out Jinsha River is just the name of the middle stream of Yangtze... :wallbash:
And may be I've found the site of the dam: 28° 15' 50'' N, 103° 38' E.


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## null (Dec 11, 2002)

bobafett said:


> Hi folks!, I'm interested in Xiluodu dam, Wikipedia says it'll be 12.600 MW, the third largest in the world. Do you know where is it exactly (coordinates)?? I could not even localize Jinsha river!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


only if you know the chinese language...

http://images.google.cn/images?hl=zh-CN&q=溪洛渡水电站&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi


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## bobafett (Dec 1, 2007)

null said:


> only if you know the chinese language...
> 
> http://images.google.cn/images?hl=zh-CN&q=溪洛渡水电站&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi


Thank you! What about the coordinates of the dam? Are the one I've posted above correct?


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