Three gorges Project

Located in Sandouping Of the Xiling Gorge, the proposed site of the Three gorges Dam is 38 km upstream from the Gezhouba Project. It is an exceptionally large water conservancy scheme possessing enormous, comprehensive utilization benefits for flood control, power generation, navigation, breeding of aquatic products and water supply.

The project is to consist of a large dam across a river, hydro electric power station and navigation structures. It is to adopt a programme of "one-cascade development of the stretch from Chongqing to Sandoupsng, finishing the project construction once to the final scope, storing water step by step, and resettling the people persistently." Theelevation of the dam crest is 185 meters above sea level. Its normal water storage level is 175 meters and total storage capacity is 39.3 billion cubic meters, with flood-control storage capacity of 22.15 billion cubic meters. The power station would install 26 sets of power generating units, with a total installed ca pacity of 17680 MW and an annual output of 84 billion kwh, The navigation structure's annual one-way passage capacity would be 50 million tons. About 650 km of channels would be upgraded.

Construction of the project will be divided into three stages. The general construction period for the principal part of the project will last 15 years. In the ninth year after construction begin, permanent navigation structures will be put into use and the first power gernerating unit begin gernerating electricity Calculated intermsof1990 price, the total investment, including that project construction, resettlement of residents and power transmission, could reach 57 billion yuan.