Installing first generator unit
Chinese engineers Thursday began to install the first generator
unit at the Three Gorges Hydropower Plant on the Yangtze
River.
It
will be the world's largest hydropower plant upon completion.
The move has laid a solid foundation for the operation of the first
generator unit in 2003, engineers said.
Largest hydropower plant upon completion
With a total installed capacity of 18.2 million kilowatts, the
Three Gorges power plant will be able to generate 84.68 kilowatt
hours of electricity when it is fully operational.
The power plant will have 26 generator units, each with a capacity
of 700,000 kilowatts. They are being manufactured in 17 factories
in eight countries.
According to the construction plan, the first two sets of
generators will produce electricity in October 2003.
The Three Gorges Project: A Brief Introduction
The idea of building a gigantic dam in the Three Gorges area to
harness the Yangtze River is not new. More than seventy year ago,
Dr. Sun Yat-sen, pioneer of the Chinese democratic revolution,
first proposed that a Yangtze Three Gorges Project be constructed.
Later, numerous experts conducted investigations on and preparatory
work for the project. But because of historic reasons and lack of
resources, the development of the project remained only a dream.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the
project was back on the agenda. After meticulous feasibility
studies by experts, it was finally concluded that the merits of the
project far overweigh its demerits. On April 3, 1992, the National
People's Congress approved the construction of the project. The
Three Gorges Project has its main benefits in flood control, power
generation and navigation.
(
November 23, 2001)