A concrete cofferdam crucial to the operation of world's largest hydroelectric power project on the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River was completed Wednesday, 55 days ahead of schedule.
Measuring 580 meters long, the cofferdam, together with the second-phase dams, is designed to raise the water level to up to 135 meters above the sea level so that the Three Gorges Dam will be able to fulfill its initial functions of hydroelectric power generation and navigation in June.
Since construction began when the diversion channels were dammed on Nov. 6, 2002, about 1.105 million cubic meters of concrete has been poured.
Situated on the upper reaches of the Yangtze, the country's longest river, the whole Three Gorges project, launched in 1993, consists of a gigantic reservoir and a host of power generating units.
Twenty-six power generating units with a combined capacity of 18.2 million kilowatts will go into operation upon its completion in 2009.
(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2003)
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