The massive Three Gorges Project, the world's largest hydropower
plant, had generated 138.3 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) of
electricity as of 9 AM?Sunday, according to an official in
charge of the project.
The electricity generated by the project is used in 15 provinces
in central, eastern, southern and southwestern China, greatly
easing power shortages in the regions, said the official with the
China Three Gorges Project Corporation.
The project's first generating unit went into operation in
2003.
Currently, 14 gigantic Three Gorges Project turbo-generators are
operating at full capacity.
Launched in 1993 and built at an estimated cost of 180 billion
yuan (about US$22.5 billion), the Three Gorges Project on the
middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest, will
eventually have 26 generators with a combined generating capacity
of 18.2 million kw and be able to generate 84.7 billion kwh of
electricity annually.
The other 12 generating units are still under construction. The
whole project is due to be completed in 2008, one year ahead of
schedule.
(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2006)