The Three Gorges Dam has begun to store water naturally since the temporary ship lock was closed Wednesday night, said a representative from the Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation Thursday.
The water level at the dam will reach 80 meters in 20 days from the current 70.14-meter height. The level is scheduled to hit 135 meters on June 15.
The 2,309-meter-long Three Gorges Dam will be constructed in two phases and the first part of the 1,600-meter-long body has already been completed with diversion holes built in it.
Officials from the navigation administration said the water storage will have no big influence on shipping in the Yangtze River.
Construction on the Three Gorges Project began in 1993 and is expected to be completed in 2009, when 26 power-generating units with a combined capacity of 18.2 million kilowatts will go into operation.
(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2003)
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