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{{Infobox Dam
||image=Dreischluchtendamm hauptwall 2006.jpg
|caption=Three Gorges Dam
|dam_name=Three Gorges Dam
|official_name=长江三峡大坝
|crosses=[[Yangtze River]]
|reservoir=[[Three Gorges Reservoir Region|Three Gorges Reservoir]]
|locale=[[Sandouping]], [[Yichang]], [[Hubei]], China
|maint=[http://www.ctgpc.com China Three Gorges Dam Project]
|length={{convert|2335|m|ft|0}}
|height={{convert|101|m|ft|0}}
|width={{convert|115|m|ft|0}}
|began=[[December 14]], [[1994]]
|cost=Estimated 180 billion [[Renminbi|yuan]] (39 billion [[U.S. dollars]])
|reservoir_capacity={{convert|39.3|km3|cumi|1|abbr=on}}
|reservoir_catchment={{convert|1000000|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}
|reservoir_surface={{convert|1045|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}
|bridge_carries=177
|bridge_width=
|bridge_clearance=
|bridge_traffic=
|bridge_toll= £10.00
|bridge_id=7649
|map_cue=
|map_image=
|map_text=
|map_width=
|coordinates={{coord|30|49|48|N|111|0|36|E|region:CN-42_type:landmark|display=inline}}
}}

The '''Three Gorges Dam''' ({{zh-stp|s={{linktext|长|江|三|峡|大|坝}}|t={{linktext|長|江|三|峽|大|壩}}|p={{linktext|Cháng|jiāng| Sān|xiá| Dà|bà}}}}) is a [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] [[river]] [[dam]] that spans the [[Yangtze River]] ({{zh-cp|c={{linktext|扬|/|洋|子}}|p={{linktext|Yáng|zǐ}}}}) in [[Sandouping]], [[Yichang]], [[Hubei]], China. It is the [[List of the largest hydroelectric power stations|largest hydroelectric power station]] in the world. Except for a planned ship lift, all the original plan of the project was completed on October 30, 2008, when the 26th [[Electrical generator|generator]] was brought to commercial operation.<ref name="ctgpc1">{{cite web|url=http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sx/news.php?mNewsId=30559 |title=三峡工程左右岸电站26台机组全部投入商业运行 |language=Chinese |publisher=China Three Gorges Project Corporation |date=2008-10-30 |accessdate=2008-12-06}}</ref>
Six additional generators in the underground power plant are being installed, with the dam thus not expected to become fully operational until around 2011. The total electric generating capacity of the dam will reach 22,500 [[Megawatt|MW]].<ref name=Xinhua20081007>
{{cite news
| url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/07/content_10162045.htm
| title=:: Three Gorges reservoir raises water to target level
| publisher= Xinhua
| author=
| date=2008-10-07
| accessdate=2008-10-14
| quote=
}}
</ref>

As with many dams, there is a debate over costs and benefits. Although there are economic benefits such as [[flood]] control, clean hydroelectricity and navigation, there are also concerns about the relocation of people, [[siltation]], loss of [[archaeological]] and cultural sites and the impact on regional ecosystem.<ref name="aljazeera">{{cite news | publisher = Aljazeera | author = Tony Cheng | url=http://www.segabg.com/online/article.asp?issueid=1185&sectionid=1&id=00001 | title=Bitter memories above the Yangtze | date=[[2007-12-09]] | accessdate=2008-01-20 }}</ref>

==Project history==
[[Image:Wuhan-Flood-Memorial-0220.jpg|thumb|left|In his poem "Swimming" (1956), engraved on the [[1954 Yangtze River Floods|1954 Flood]] Memorial in [[Wuhan]], Mao Zedong envisions "walls of stone" to be erected upstream.<ref>[http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/poems/poems23.htm "Swimming" by Mao Zedong]</ref>]]
The dam was originally envisioned by [[Sun Yat-sen]] in ''The International Development of China'' in 1919.<ref name="culturemall"/> In 1932 the Nationalist government, led by [[Chiang Kai-shek]], began preliminary work on plans for a dam in the [[Three Gorges]]. Then in 1939 the Japanese military forces occupied Yichang and surveyed the area. A design, the Otani plan, was completed for the dam in anticipation of a Japanese victory over China.<ref>[http://www.china.org.cn/chinese/zhuanti/sanxia/337524.htm ]{{Dead link|date=December 2008}}</ref> In 1944 involvement from the United States began when the [[Bureau of Reclamation]] engineer [[J.L. Savage]] surveyed the area and drew up a dam proposal. Around 54&nbsp;Chinese engineers were sent to the U.S. for training. Some exploration, survey, economic study, and design work was done, but the government, in the midst of the [[Chinese Civil War]], halted work in 1947.<ref name="schiller">{{cite news | publisher = Schiller Institute | author = William C. Jones; Marsha Freeman | url=http://www.schillerinstitute.org/economy/phys_econ/phys_econ_3_gorges.html | title=Three Gorges Dam: The TVA on The Yangtze River | accessdate=2008-01-20 }}</ref>

After the 1949 communist victory, the leader [[Mao Zedong]] supported the project, but the [[Gezhouba Dam]] project was begun first and economic problems including the [[Great Leap Forward]] and the [[Cultural Revolution]] slowed progress. In 1958, after the [[Hundred Flowers Campaign]], some engineers who spoke out against the project were imprisoned.<ref name="WPhist">{{cite news | publisher = Washington Post | author = Steven Mufson | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/yangtze/yangtze.htm | title= The Yangtze Dam: Feat or Folly? | date=1997-11-09 | accessdate=2008-01-20 }}</ref>

During the 1980s plans were revived. Pushed through by [[Li Peng]], the dam was approved by the [[National People's Congress]] in 1992 with a record number of abstentions and dissenting votes. {{Fact|date=August 2008}} The construction started on December 14, 1994.<ref name="allin">
{{cite paper
|last = Allin | first = Samuel Robert Fishleigh
|title = An Examination of China’s Three Gorges Dam Project Based on the Framework Presented in the Report of The World Commission on Dams
|publisher = Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
|date = [[2004-11-30]]
|url = http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-12142004-125131/unrestricted/SAllin_010304.pdf
|format = PDF
|accessdate = 2008-01-13}}
</ref> The dam was expected to be fully operational in 2009, but due to additional projects such as the underground [[powerplant|power plant]] with 6 additional generators, and due to the complexity of the ship lift, the dam is not expected to become fully operational until about 2011.<ref name="WPhist"/> The dam will raise the water level the third time to its designed maximum water level (175 m above sea level) by the end of 2008.<ref name="reuters21112007">{{cite news
|publisher=Reuters
|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKPEK26725220071121?sp=true
|author=Chris Buckley
|title=Landslide near China's Three Gorges Dam kills one
|date=[[2007-11-21]]
|accessdate = 2008-01-13
}}</ref>

[[Image:Threegorges.png|nhỏ|500px|thumb|center|Map of the location of the Three Gorges Dam, Sandouping, Yichang, Hubei Province, China and major cities along the Yangtze River.]]
{{-}}

==Scale of the project==
The dam wall is made of concrete and is about {{convert|2309|m|ft|0}} long, and {{convert|101|m|ft|0}} high. The wall is {{convert|115|m|ft|1}} thick on the bottom and {{convert|40|m|ft|1}} thick on top. The project used {{convert|27200000|m3|cuyd|-5}} of concrete, 463,000&nbsp;[[tonnes]] of steel, enough to build 63&nbsp;[[Eiffel Tower]]s, and moved about {{convert|102600000|m3|cuyd|-5}} of earth.<ref name="ibib1">{{cite news
|publisher=ibiblio.org
|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/07spe/specrep01.html#Quick%20Facts
|title=Three Gorges Dam Project - Quick Facts
|accessdate = 2008-01-20
}}</ref>

When the water level is maximum at {{convert|175|m|ft|0}} over sea level ({{convert|91|m|ft|0}} above river level), the reservoir created by the Three Gorges Dam is about {{convert|660|km|mi|0}} in length and {{convert|1.12|km|mi|2}} in width on average, and contains {{convert|39.3|km3|cumi|1|abbr=on}} of water.The total surface area of the reservoir is 1045&nbsp;km². The reservoir will flood a total area of 632&nbsp;km² of land compared to the 1,350&nbsp;km² of reservoir created by the [[Itaipu|Itaipu Dam]].<ref name=Xinhua20031121>
{{cite news
|publisher=Xinhua Net
|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/ziliao/2003-05/30/content_896773.htm
|author=
|title=三峡水库：世界淹没面积最大的水库 (Three Gorges reservoir: World submergence area biggest reservoir)
|date=[[2003-11-21]]
|accessdate = 2008-04-10
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbabelfish.yahoo.com%2Ftranslate_url%3Fdoit%3Ddone%26tt%3Durl%26intl%3D1%26fr%3Dbf-home%26trurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.xinhuanet.com%252Fziliao%252F2003-05%252F30%252Fcontent_896773.htm%26lp%3Dzh_en%26btnTrUrl%3DTranslate&date=2008-08-09 translation]
</ref>

==Economics==
[[Image:Sanxia Runner04 300.jpg|thumb|250px| Three Gorges Dam [[Francis Turbine]] ]]

When finished, the project will have cost 180&nbsp;billion yuan, over 20&nbsp;billion yuan less than the initial estimated budget of 203.9&nbsp;billion yuan, just under 30 billion USD. This is because the calculation accounts for the effect of inflation, and the lower costs are attributed to a low inflation rate in recent years.<ref>{{cite news
|publisher=China Three Gorges Project Corporation
|url=http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sxslsn/index.php
|title=Brief explanation of TGP
|date=[[2006-05-20]]
|accessdate = 2007-05-27
|language = Chinese
}}</ref> Until the end of 2008, the total investment reached 148.365&nbsp;billion yuan, among which, 64.613&nbsp;billion yuan on construction, 68.557&nbsp;billion yuan on the relocation of affected residents and 15.195&nbsp;billion yuan was spent on the interests of financing.<ref>http://chinaneast.xinhuanet.com/jszb/2009-01/11/content_15419027.htm</ref> It is estimated that the cost of construction will be recovered when the dam has generated 1000&nbsp;[[Kilowatt hour|TWh]] of electricity, which is estimated to sell for 250&nbsp;billion yuan. Cost recovery is expected to occur ten years after the dam starts full operation.<ref name="culturemall"/>

Sources for funding include the Three Gorges Dam Construction Fund, profits from the [[Gezhouba Dam]], policy loans from the [[China Development Bank]], loans from domestic and foreign commercial banks, [[corporate bond]]s, and revenue from Three Gorges Dam before and after it is fully operational, with additional charges for electricity contributing to the Three Gorges Construction Fund. The additional charges are as follows: Every province receiving power from the Three Gorges Dam has to pay an additional charge of ¥7.00&nbsp;per MWh. Provinces that will not receive power from the Three Gorges Dam have to pay an additional charge of ¥4.00&nbsp;per MWh. Tibet does not have to pay any additional money.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sx/sxgczds.php?mClassId=015004
|title=Three Gorges Dam
|publisher=China Three Gorges Project Corporation
|date=[[2003-04-20]]
|accessdate=2007-04-29
|language = Chinese
}}</ref>

==Hydroelectricity generation and distribution==
===Total generating capacity===
[[Image:Electricity production in China.PNG|thumb|right|250px|Electricity production in China by source. Compare: The fully completed Three Gorges dam will contribute about 100&nbsp;TWh of generation per year.
{{legend|red|thermofossil}}
{{legend|blue|hydroelectric}}
{{legend|yellow|nuclear}}]]
The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest hydro-electric power station by total capacity, which will be 22,500 MW.<ref name="culturemall">{{cite web
|title = Three Gorges Dam
|publisher = China culture mall trading group inc.
|url = http://www.chinaculturemall.com/Crafts/article.aspx?id=2530
|accessdate = 2008-01-13}}
</ref> It will have 34 generators. 32 will be main generators, each with a capacity of 700&nbsp;MW, and the other 2 will be plant power generators, each with capacity of 50&nbsp;MW. Among those 32 main generators, 14 of them are installed in the north side of the dam, 12 in the south side and the remaining 6 in the underground powerplant in the mountain south of the dam. After completion, the expected annual electricity generation will be over 100&nbsp;TWh,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hb.xinhuanet.com/zhibo/2008-12/04/content_15097047.htm |title=三峡机组国产化已取得成功 |language=Chinese |publisher=hb.xinhuanet.com |date=2008-12-04 |accessdate=2008-12-06}}</ref> 18% more than the originally predicted 84.7&nbsp;TWh, since 6 generators were added in 2002.

===Generators===
Each of the main generators weighs about 6000 tonnes and are designed to produce at least 700 MW of power. The designed head of the generator is 80.6 m. The flow rate varies between 600 m<sup>3</sup>/s to 950 m<sup>3</sup>/s depending on the head available. The Three Gorges Dam project installs [[Francis turbine]]s. The diameter of the turbine is 9.7/10.4 m (VGS design/Alstom's design). It rotates at a speed of 75 rpm. The normal rated power of the generator is 778 [[Volt ampere|MVA]]. The maximum power is 840 MVA. The [[power factor]] is 0.9. The generator produces electrical power at 20 [[Volt|kV]]. The outer diameter of the generator stator is 21.4/20.9 m. The inner diameter is 18.5/18.8 m. The height of the stator is 3.1/3 m. It is the biggest stator in the world. The load at the bearing is 5050/5500 tonnes. The average efficiency of the generators is over 94%, and the highest is 96.5%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2008-08/28/content_9723523_2.htm |title=李永安:我水轮发电机组已具完全自主设计制造能力_财经频道_新华网 |language=Chinese |publisher=xinhuanet.com |date=2008-08-28 |accessdate=2008-12-06}}</ref>

The generators are manufactured by two joint ventures. One of them includes [[Alstom]], [[ABB]], [[Kvaerner]] and the Chinese company Haerbin Motor. The other includes [[Voith]], [[General Electric]], [[Siemens]] (abbreviated as VGS), and the Chinese company Oriental Motor. The technology transfer agreement was signed together with the contract. More than 8 of the 32 generators are made in China. Most of the generators are water-cooled. Some newer ones are air-cooled, which are simpler in design,manufacture and easier to maintain.<ref name=Chinacom20020726>
{{cite news
|url= http://www.chinaccm.com/23/2307/230701/news/20020726/105549.asp
|title=三峡工程及其水电机组概况 (Three Gorges Project and water and electricity unit survey)
|publisher=中华商务网讯
|date=[[2002-07-26]]
|accessdate=2008-04-11
|language = Chinese
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbabelfish.yahoo.com%2Ftranslate_url%3Fdoit%3Ddone%26tt%3Durl%26intl%3D1%26fr%3Dbf-home%26trurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.chinaccm.com%252F23%252F2307%252F230701%252Fnews%252F20020726%252F105549.asp%26lp%3Dzh_en%26btnTrUrl%3DTranslate&date=2008-08-09 translation]
</ref>

===Generator installation progress===
The 14 generators in the north side of the dam have already been installed. The first one (No.2 ) started to power on July 10, 2003. The last one (No.9) started to power on September 7, 2005. All of the 14 generators first ran to full power (9800&nbsp;MW) on October 18, 2006 after the water level had been raised to 156&nbsp;m.<ref>{{cite news
|url= http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2006-10/18/content_416256.htm
|title=Three Gorges Dam
|publisher=Government of China
|date=[[2006-10-18]]
|accessdate=2007-05-15
|language = Chinese
}}</ref>

The 12 generators in the south side of the dam have already been installed.The first generator (No. 22) in the south side of the dam started working on June 11, 2007. The last generator (No. 15) on the south side of the dam was completed and brought to the power grid on Oct.30, 2008.<ref name="ctgpc1"/> The sixth generator in the south side (No. 17) started working on December 18, 2007. It brought the total capacity of the dam to 14.1&nbsp;GW, surpassing the generating capacity of [[Itaipu]] (14.0&nbsp;GW), to become the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. The seventh generator in the south side (No. 17) started working on December 27, 2007. The eighth generator in the south side (No. 24) started working on April 25, 2008.<ref name=Ctgpc20080505>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sx/news.php?mNewsId=28253
| title=中国长江三峡工程开发总公司 (The manufacture domestically large-scale power set stability enhances unceasingly)
| publisher=[[ctgpc]]
| author=
| date=2008-05-05
| accessdate=2008-08-09
| quote=
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbabelfish.yahoo.com%2Ftranslate_url%3Fdoit%3Ddone%26tt%3Durl%26intl%3D1%26fr%3Dbf-home%26trurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ctgpc.com.cn%252Fsx%252Fnews.php%253FmNewsId%253D28253%26lp%3Dzh_en%26btnTrUrl%3DTranslate&date=2008-08-09 translation]
</ref>

The ninth generator in the south side (No. 19) started working on June 18, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sx/news.php?mNewsId=28982 |title=三峡右岸电站19号机组完成72小时试运行 |language=Chinese |publisher=China Three Gorges Project Corporation |date=2008-06-20 |accessdate=2008-12-06}}</ref> The tenth generator in the south side (No. 16) started working on July 2, 2008.<ref>[http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sx/news.php?mNewsId=29089 中国长江三峡工程开发总公司<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The eleventh generator in the south side (No. 23) started working on August 19, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sx/news.php?mNewsId=29622 |title=三峡23号机组进入72小时试运行 |language=Chinese |publisher=China Three Gorges Project Corporation |date=2008-08-22 |accessdate=2008-12-06}}</ref> The total capacity of the plant is currently at 18.30 GW.<br/>
Added to the project in 2002, the underground power plant and its six generators are still under construction.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.hb.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2007-10/23/content_11470543.htm
|title=Three Gorges Dam
|publisher=Xinhua
|date=[[2007-10-22]]
|accessdate=2007-10-22
|language = Chinese
}}</ref><ref name="Xinhua2">{{cite news
|url=http://chinaneast.xinhuanet.com/jszb/2007-12/08/content_11882715.htm
|title=Three Gorges Dam (三峡电站累计发电2050亿千瓦时 装机容量居世界首位)
|publisher=Xinhua
|date=[[2007-12-08]]
|accessdate=2007-12-08
|language = Chinese
}}</ref>

===Total energy generated===
As of October 30, 2008 the Three Gorges Dam Project had generated over 274.4&nbsp;TWh of electricity, more than one quarter of the 1000&nbsp;TWh it needs to generate to cover the cost (''see [[#Economics|Economics]] section'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gb.cri.cn/18824/2008/10/30/2945s2302630.htm |title=三峡工程左右岸电站26台机组全部投入商业运行 - 中国报道 - 国际在线 |language=Chinese |publisher=CRI online|date=2008-10-30 |accessdate=2008-12-06}}</ref> With 18,300 MW installed capacity, the generation capacity of the Three Gorges Dam Project is about 4,300 MW more than that of the [[Itaipu|Itaipu Dam]]. In July 2008, the Three Gorges Dam generated 10.3 TWh of electricity, the first time it has generated more than 10 TWh in a month.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sx/news.php?mNewsId=29583 |title=三峡电站月发电量首过百亿千瓦时 |language=Chinese |publisher=China Three Gorges Project Corporation |date=2008-08-15 |accessdate=2008-12-06}}</ref>
[[Image:Three gorges dam from space.jpg|thumb|350px|Three Gorges Dam (left), Gezhouba Dam (right).]]

{| class="wikitable" border="1" style="text-align:right"
|+ Annual Production of Energy
|-
! Year
! Number of<br />installed units
! TWh
|-
| 2003
| 6
| 8.607
|-
| 2004
| 11
| 39.155
|-
| 2005
| 14
| 49.090
|-
| 2006
| 14
| 49.250
|-
| 2007
| 21
| 61.600
|-
| 2008
| 26
| 80.812<ref>http://www.cepn.sp.com.cn/bwtj/200901/t20090109_268374.htm</ref>
|- style="background-color:#ccccff"
| Total
| 26(32)
| 288.514
|}

===Power distribution===
The electricity generated by the Three Gorges Dam project was sold to the [[State Grid Corporation]] and [[China Southern Power Grid]] at a flat rate of ¥250&nbsp;per MWh ($35.7 US) until July 2, 2008. The price of electricity now is different depending on which province is sold to, ranging from ¥230.6 per MWh to ¥311.1 per MWh.<ref>[http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sx/news.php?mNewsId=29096 中国长江三峡工程开发总公司<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Nine provinces and two cities consume the power from it, including Shanghai.<ref name="chinagate">{{cite news
|publisher=Chinagate.com.cn
|url=http://en.chinagate.com.cn/reports/2007-12/05/content_9348644.htm
|title=Construction of the Three Gorges Project and Ecological Protection
|date=[[2007-11-27]]
|accessdate = 2008-01-20
}}</ref>

The power distribution and transmission of the Three Gorges Dam project cost about 34.387 billion Yuan. It was completed in December 2007, one year ahead of time.<ref>{{cite news
|url= http://www.sdpc.gov.cn/xwfb/t20071220_180047.htm
|title=Three Gorges Dam
|publisher=National Development and Reform Commission
|date=[[2007-12-20]]
|accessdate=2007-12-20
|language = Chinese
}}</ref>

Power is sent in three directions. The 500 kV DC transmission line to the East China Grid has a capacity of 7,200 MW. There are three 500 kV DC transmission lines: [[HVDC Three Gorges-Shanghai]] (3,000 MW), [[HVDC Three Gorges-Changzhou]] (3,000 MW) and [[HVDC Gezhouba - Shanghai]] (1,200 MW). The 500 kV AC transmission line to Central China Grid has a capacity of 12,000 MW. The other 500 kV DC transmission line [[HVDC Three Gorges-Guangdong]] to South China Grid has a capacity of 3,000 MW and supplies [[Guangdong]].<ref name="abb">{{cite web
|url= http://www.abb.com/cawp/gad02181/f5933693d1a92404c1256d8800401782.aspx
|title=Three Gorges, China
|publisher=ABB Group
|accessdate=2007-12-20
}}</ref>

In the original plan, it was expected to provide 10% of electricity consumption in China. However, China’s demand for electricity has increased at a higher rate than was planned, and if fully operational now, it would support about 3% of the total electricity consumption in China.<ref>{{cite news - |url= http://www.csee.net.cn/data/2006/0525/article_864.htm
|title=Three Gorges Dam
|publisher=Chinese Society for electrical engineering
|date=[[2006-05-25]]
|accessdate=2007-05-16
|language = Chinese
}}</ref>

==Environmental contribution of the dam==
===Direct reduction of air pollutant and greenhouse gas emission===
According to The National Development and Reform Commission of China, it takes 366&nbsp;[[grams]] of coal to generate 1 kWh of electricity in China(2006).<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.ndrc.gov.cn/zjgx/t20070307_120213.htm
|title=Three Gorges Dam
|publisher=NDRC
|date=[[2007-03-07]]
|accessdate=2007-05-15
|language = Chinese
}}</ref>
Therefore, the Three Gorges Dam will potentially reduce the coal consumption by 31&nbsp;million tonnes per year, cutting the emission of 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas,<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.carbonplanet.com/home/country_emissions.php
|title=Greenhouse Gas Emissions By Country
|publisher=Carbonplanet
|date= 2006
|accessdate=2007-05-16
}}</ref> millions of tonnes of dust, 1&nbsp;million tonnes of sulfur dioxide, 370&nbsp;thousand tonnes of [[nitric oxide]], 10&nbsp;thousand tonnes of carbon monoxide and a significant amount of mercury into the atmosphere.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sxslsn/index.php
|title=Three Gorges Dam
|publisher=TGP
|date=[[2006-06-12]]
|accessdate=2007-05-15
|language = Chinese
}}</ref> The elimination of the fossil fuel also reduces the energy consumption in mining, washing and transporting about 31 million tonnes of coal from northern China to the load centre in south and east China.

Since the dam started generating power on July 10, 2003, total power production is equivalent to 84 million tonnes of standard coal and reduces carbon dioxide emission by 190 million tonnes, sulfur dioxide by 2.29 million tonnes and nitroxides by 980,000 tonnes.<ref name=Xinhuar2007023>
{{cite news
| url=http://news.stockstar.com/info/darticle.aspx?id=GA,20080708,00069957&columnid=76
| title= 长江电力(600900)2008年上半年发电量完成情况公告 - 证券之星 (The Three Gorges sluice year transported goods volume may amount to 100,000,000 tons)
| publisher=[[Xinhua]]
| author=
| date=2007-01-23
| accessdate=2008-08-09
| quote=
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbabelfish.yahoo.com%2Ftranslate_url%3Fdoit%3Ddone%26tt%3Durl%26intl%3D1%26fr%3Dbf-home%26trurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hb.xinhuanet.com%252Fzhengwu%252F2007-01%252F23%252Fcontent_9110876.htm%26lp%3Dzh_en%26btnTrUrl%3DTranslate&date=2008-08-09 translation]
</ref>

===Reduction of greenhouse gas due to navigation===
From 2004 to 2007 a total of 198 million tonnes of goods passed through the Three Gorges Dam ship locks. The freight capacity of the river increased 6 times and the cost of shipping reduced by 25%, compared to previous years, which reduces carbon dioxide emission by 630,000 tonnes. Comparing to highway transportation, the amount of fuel that Three Gorges Dam project saved between the year of 2004 and 2007 is equivalent to 4,100,000 tonnes of standard coal. Thus it reduces carbon dioxide emission by 10 million tonnes.<ref name=Xinhuar2007023/>

===Waste management===
Since the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, many waste water treatment plants have been completed to reduce the water pollution from the large populated city Chongqing and the suburban area around it. According to the ministry of environmental protection of PRC, until April 2007, there were more than 50 waste water treatment plants installed and the total capacity reached 1.84 million tonnes per day. More than 65% of the waste water is treated before being dumped into the Three Gorges Dam reservoir. About 32 land sites deposit were completed and could handle 7664.5 tonnes of solid waste every day.<ref name=Zhb20070419>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.zhb.gov.cn/info/gxdt/200704/t20070419_102933.htm
| title= 重庆三峡库区污水和垃圾处理项目建设成效明显 (Chongqing Three Gorges Reservoir Region sewage and the garbage disposal project construction result is obvious)
| publisher=
| author=
| date=2007-04-19
| accessdate=2008-08-09
| quote=
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbabelfish.yahoo.com%2Ftranslate_url%3Fdoit%3Ddone%26tt%3Durl%26intl%3D1%26fr%3Dbf-home%26trurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.zhb.gov.cn%252Finfo%252Fgxdt%252F200704%252Ft20070419_102933.htm%26lp%3Dzh_en%26btnTrUrl%3DTranslate&date=2008-08-09 translation]
</ref><ref name=Xinhua20080503>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.hb.xinhuanet.com/zhibo/2008-05/03/content_13148105.htm
| title=湖北省三峡治污项目三年内投入约23.5亿元 (In the Hubei Province Three Gorges anti-pollution project three years invest the approximately 2,350,000,000 Yuan)
| publisher=[[Xinhua]]
| author=
| date=2007-04-19
| accessdate=2008-08-09
| quote=
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbabelfish.yahoo.com%2Ftranslate_url%3Fdoit%3Ddone%26tt%3Durl%26intl%3D1%26fr%3Dbf-home%26trurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hb.xinhuanet.com%252Fzhibo%252F2008-05%252F03%252Fcontent_13148105.htm%2B%26lp%3Dzh_en%26btnTrUrl%3DTranslate&date=2008-08-09 translation
</ref>

===Reforestation===
The Three Gorges Dam pushes the Chinese government to think seriously about the environmental issues associated with the dam, such as deforestation and water pollution. {{Fact|date=July 2008}} “The FAO’s research suggests that the Asia-Pacific region will, overall, gain about 6,000 square km of forest in 2008. That is quite a turnaround from the 13,000 square km net loss of forest each year in the 1990s. The main reason is China’s huge reforestation effort. This accelerated after terrible floods in 1998 convinced the government that it must restore tree cover, especially in the mighty Yangtze’s basin” upstream of the Three Gorges Dam.<ref>Peter Collins "Falling here, rising there" Page 63,The World in 2008,The Economist</ref>

==Flood control and drought relief==

The most significant function of the dam is to control flooding, which is a major problem of a seasonal river like the Yangtze. Millions of people live downstream of the dam, and many large and important cities like [[Wuhan]], [[Nanjing]] and Shanghai lie next to the river. Plenty of farm land and the most important industrial area of China are built beside the river.<br />
The reservoir's flood storage capacity is 22&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>(18&nbsp;million [[acre-foot|acre feet]]). This capacity will reduce the frequency of major downstream [[flood]]ing from once every 10 years to once every 100 years. With the dam, it is expected that major floods can be controlled. If a "super" flood comes, the dam is expected to minimize its effect.<ref name="culturemall"/>

[[1954 Yangtze River Floods|In 1954 the river flooded]] {{convert|193000|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} of land, killing 33,169&nbsp;people and forcing 18,884,000&nbsp;people to move. The flood covered [[Wuhan]], a city with 8 million people, for over three months, and the [[Jingguang Railway]] was out of service for more than 100&nbsp;days.<ref name="culturemall"/> In the event of a recurrence of the 1954 flood that carried 50 billion m<sup>3</sup> of water, the Three Gorges Dam could only divert the water above Chenglingji, still leaving 30 to 40 billion m<sup>3</sup> of flood water to be diverted.<ref>Dai, Qing. Yangtze! Yangtze!. UK: Earthscan Ltd, 1994., 184</ref> Also the dam will not protect the large tributaries such as the Xiangjiang, Zishui, [[Yuan River|Yuanshui]], Lishui, Hanjiang, and Ganjiang from flooding, due to the location of the dam.

[[1998 Yangtze River Floods|In 1998 a flood in the same area]] caused billions of dollars in damage. The Chinese government asked for support from its military to fight the flooding. 2039 square kilometers of farm land was flooded. The flood affected more than 2.3&nbsp;million people, and 1,526 were killed.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sxslsn/index.php?mClassId=003000
|title=Three Gorges Dam
|publisher=CTGPC
|date=[[2002-04-20]]
|accessdate=2007-06-03
|language = Chinese
}}</ref>

The Dam discharges its reservoir during the dry season between December and March every year.<ref>http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2009-02/18/content_1235518.htm</ref> This increases the flow rate of the river downstream, and provides more fresh water for agricultural and industrial usage. It also improves the navigation conditions during dry season. The water level upstream drops from 175 m to 145 m,<ref>http://www.hb.xinhuanet.com/zhibo/2009-02/19/content_15732434.htm</ref> leaving room for the flooding season. This also increases the power output of the Gezhouba Dam downstream.
{{Anchor|Navigation}}

==Navigation==
[[Image:Three gorges dam locks view from vantage point.jpg|thumb|200px|[[lock (water transport)|Ship locks]] for river traffic to bypass the Three Gorges Dam, May 2004]]

The installation of [[lock (water transport)|ship locks]] is intended to increase river shipping from 10 million to 100 million [[tonne]]s annually, with transportation costs cut by 30 to 37%. Shipping will become safer, since the gorges are notoriously dangerous to navigate.<ref name=Xinhuar2007023/>
Each of the two ship locks is made up of 5 stages taking around 4 hours in total to complete and have a capacity of 10,000&nbsp;tons.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.chinaeconomicreview.com/logistics/?cat=88
|title=Yangtze as a vital logistics aid
|publisher=China Economic Review
|date=[[2007-05-30]]
|accessdate=2007-06-03
|language = Chinese
}}
</ref> Critics argue, however, that heavy siltation will clog ports such as [[Chongqing]] within a few years based on the evidence from other dam projects.

The locks are designed to be 280&nbsp;m long, 35&nbsp;m wide, and 5&nbsp;m deep (918 x 114 x 16.4 ft).<ref name=Moafs20020420>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.moafs.org/newsletter/April%202002/3gorgestats.htm
|title=Three Gorges Dam
|publisher=Missouri Chapter American Fisheries Society
|date=[[2002-04-20]]
|accessdate=2007-01-28
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.moafs.org%2Fnewsletter%2FApril%25202002%2F3gorgestats.htm&date=2008-08-09 mirror]
</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.ctgpc.com/benefifs/benefifs_a_5.htm
|title=Its Buildings with Biggest Indices
|publisher=''China Three Gorges Project''
|date=2002
|accessdate=2007-01-28
}}[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ctgpc.com%2Fbenefifs%2Fbenefifs_a_5.htm&date=2008-08-09 mirror]
</ref>
That is 30&nbsp;m longer than those on the [[St Lawrence Seaway]], but half as deep. Before the dam was constructed, the maximum freight capacity of the river at the Three Gorges site was 18.0 million tonnes per year. From year 2004 to 2007, there were total of 198 million tonnes of freight passed through the Three Gorges Dam ship locks. The freight capacity of the river increased 6 times and the cost of shipping reduced by 25%, comparing to the previous years. The total capacity of the ship locks is expected to reach 100 million tonnes.<ref name=Xinhuar2007023/>
In addition to the canal locks, the Three Gorges Dam will be equipped with a [[boat lift|ship lift]], a kind of elevator for vessels.<ref name="KukPlanningTG">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.kuk.de/content/akt/inf/yangtze_bautechnik_en.pdf
|title=Planning of the ship lift at the Three Gorges dam in China
|publisher=
|author=[[Dorothea Krebs]], [[Thomas Runte]], [[Gerhard Strack (hydrologic engineer)|Gerhard Strack]]
|date=
|accessdate=2008-03-12
|quote=
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kuk.de%2Fcontent%2Fakt%2Finf%2Fyangtze_bautechnik_en.pdf&date=2008-08-09 mirror]
</ref>
The ship lift is designed to be capable of lifting ships of up to 3,000&nbsp;tons.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.threegorgesprobe.org/tgp/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=8803
|title=Three Gorges Shiplift resurfaces
|publisher=''[[Three Gorges Probe]]''
|date=[[2003-11-07]]
|accessdate=2007-01-28
}}</ref><ref name=Bbc2005050>
{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4512015.stm
|title=China's west seeks to impress investors
|publisher=BBC
|date=[[2005-05-04]]
|accessdate=2007-01-28
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F2%2Fhi%2Fbusiness%2F4512015.stm&date=2008-08-09 mirror]
</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.threegorgesprobe.org/tgp/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=12712
|title=Ship lift work to begin at Three Gorges site,
|publisher=''[[Three Gorges Probe]]''
|date=[[2005-03-23]]
|accessdate=2007-01-28
}}</ref>
In the original plan its capacity was to be 10,000&nbsp;tons. The ship lift was not yet complete when the rest of the project was officially opened on May 20, 2006.<ref name=TaipeiTimes20080521>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/05/21/2003309291
|title=Three Gorges dam ready to go
|date=[[2006-05-21]]
|publisher=[[Taipei Times]]
|accessdate=2007-01-28
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fworld%2Farchives%2F2006%2F05%2F21%2F2003309291&date=2008-08-09 mirror]
</ref><ref name=CbsNews20060520>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/20/world/main1638180.shtml
|title=China Completes Three Gorges Dam
|date=[[2006-05-20]]
|publisher=[[CBS News]]
|accessdate=2007-01-28
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fstories%2F2006%2F05%2F20%2Fworld%2Fmain1638180.shtml&date=2008-08-09 mirror]
</ref> Construction of the ship lift started in October 2007 and is anticipated to be completed in the year 2014.<ref name=CnHubei20071110>
{{cite news
| url=http://news.cnhubei.com/hbrb/hbrbsglk/hbrb01/200711/t136849.shtml
| title=三峡升船机开工建设_荆楚网 (Three Gorges ship lift operation construction)
| publisher=[[CnHubei]]
| author=
| date=2007-11-10
| accessdate=2008-08-09
| quote=
}} [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbabelfish.yahoo.com%2Ftranslate_url%3Fdoit%3Ddone%26tt%3Durl%26intl%3D1%26fr%3Dbf-home%26trurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.cnhubei.com%252Fhbrb%252Fhbrbsglk%252Fhbrb01%252F200711%252Ft136849.shtml%26lp%3Dzh_en%26btnTrUrl%3DTranslate&date=2008-08-09 translation]
</ref>

==Relocation of local residents==
During the planning stages in the 1990s it was estimated that 1.13&nbsp;million residents would be forced to relocate; the final number (as of June 2008) ended up with 1.24 million after the last town called Gaoyang in [[Hubei]] Province was relocated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/sx/news.php?mNewsId=29626 |title=三峡四期移民工程通过阶段性验收 |language=Chinese |publisher=China Three Gorges Project Corporation |date=2008-08-22 |accessdate=2008-12-06}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated3>[http://chinese.wsj.com/gb/20080724/bch094619.asp?source=whatnews3 [中港台&#93; 三峡库区城镇完成拆迁-华尔街日报<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> This number is about 1.5% of the total population of [[Hubei]] Province (60.3 million) and [[Chongqing]] City (31.44&nbsp;million) where the reservoir is located.<ref name="MWC_News_101307">{{cite news
|url=http://mwcnews.net/content/view/17341&Itemid=1
|title= China dam to displace millions more
|publisher=MWC News
|date=[[2007-10-13]]
|accessdate=2007-10-13
}}</ref> About 140,000&nbsp;residents were relocated out of [[Hubei]] province to eastern provinces and some central provinces, and the majority of the remaining people were relocated within Hubei Province.<ref name="chinadaily2">{{cite news
|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-07/15/content_348413.htm
|title= More bid farewell to Three Gorges
|author=Liang Chao
|publisher=China Daily
|date=[[2004-07-15]]
|accessdate=2008-01-20
}}</ref>
The relocation project was completed on July 22, 2008.<ref name=autogenerated3 />
On October 11, 2007 Chinese state media announced that under a development plan of [[Chongqing]] city, an additional 4 million people will be encouraged to move from their homes near the dam to the [[Chongqing]] metropolitan area by the year 2020.<ref name="bbc12102007">{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7042660.stm
|title= Millions forced out by China dam
|publisher=BBC News
|date=[[2007-10-12]]
|accessdate=2008-01-20
}}</ref><ref name="xinhua11102007">{{cite news
|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-10/11/content_6864252.htm
|title= Millions more face relocation from Three Gorges Reservoir Area
|publisher=Xinhua
|author=Wang Hongjiang
|date=[[2007-10-11]]
|accessdate=2008-01-20
}}</ref><ref name="xinhua26092007">{{cite news
|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/26/content_6796234.htm
|title= China warns of environmental "catastrophe" from Three Gorges Dam
|publisher=Xinhua
|author=Jiang Yuxia
|date=[[2007-09-26]]
|accessdate=2007-10-14
}}</ref>

There have been accusations of corruption over money sent to the town of Gaoyang for the purpose of relocation for 13,000 farmers. The money disappeared after it was sent to the local government, and residents were denied compensation.<ref name="nationalgeographic">{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1925172.stm
|title= Relocation for Giant Dam Inflames Chinese Peasants
|author=Julie Chao
|publisher=National Geographic
|date=[[2001-05-15]]
|accessdate=2008-01-20
}}</ref>

==Criticism==
===Environmental impact===
{{Main|Environmental issues with the Three Gorges Dam}}
{{Mergefrom|Environmental issues with the Three Gorges Dam|Talk:Environmental issues with the Three Gorges Dam#Merge|date=March 2008}}

Of the 3,000 to 4,000 remaining [[critically endangered]] [[Siberian Crane]], a large number currently spend the winter in wetlands that will be destroyed by the Three Gorges Dam. The dam also contributed to the functional extinction of the [[Baiji]], the Yangtze river dolphin. In addition, populations of the [[Yangtze sturgeon]] are guaranteed to be "negatively affected" by the dam.
There are high levels of pollution currently in the [[Yangtze]]. Over one billion tons of wastewater are released annually into the river.<ref name="autogenerated1">Qing, Dai, 9. The River Dragon Has Come!: The Three Gorges Dam and the Fate of China's Yangtze River and Its People (East Gate Book). Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe, 1997.</ref> The dam will significantly decrease the river's flushing capacity and the pollution ratings will increase. For the current amount of pollution, there is an estimated cost of 2.8 billion [[Renminbi|Yuan]] to clean the river{{Facts|date=May 2008}}.

While logging in the area was required for construction {{Facts|date=May 2008}}which adds to erosion, stopping the periodic and uncontrolled flooding of the river will lessen bank erosion in the long run. The build up of silt in the reservoir will, however, reduce the amount of silt transported by the Yangtze River to the Yangtze Delta and could reduce the effectiveness of the dam for electricity generation and, perhaps more importantly, the lack of silt deposited in the peninsula could result in erosion and sinking of coastal areas.

===Effect on local culture and aesthetic values===
The 600&nbsp;kilometer (375&nbsp;mi) long reservoir has flooded or will flood some 1,300&nbsp;archaeological sites and will alter the appearance of the Three Gorges as the water level rises over one hundred meters at various locations.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007682.html
|title= Flotsam, Jetsam and the Three Gorges Dam
|author=Regine Debatty
|publisher=World Changing
|date=[[2007-12-09]]
|accessdate=2008-01-20
}}</ref> Cultural and historical relics are being moved to higher ground as they are discovered but the flooding of the Gorge will undoubtedly cover some undiscovered relics. Some other sites cannot be moved because of their location, size or design. For example the [[hanging coffins]] site high in the [[Shen Nong Stream|Shen Nong Gorge]] is inherently part of the sheer cliffs themselves.<ref name="Hogan">{{cite news
|url=http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=17946
|title= Shen Nong Gorge Hanging Coffins
|author=C.Michael Hogan
|publisher=The Megalithic Portal
|editor=Andy Burnham
|accessdate=2008-01-20
}}</ref>

===Sedimentation===
There are two hazards uniquely identified with the dam.<ref>Topping, Audrey Ronning. Environmental controversy over the Three Gorges Dam. Earth Times News Service.</ref> One is that sedimentation projections are not agreed upon, and the other is that the dam sits on a seismic fault.

The [[Three Gorges]] area currently has 10% forestation, down from 20% in the 1950s. At current levels 80% of the land in the area is experiencing erosion causing about 40 million tons of sediment to slide into the [[Yangtze]] annually.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> The relocation of people from the reservoir area will cause further deforestation and erosion due to agricultural needs.

Excessive sedimentation can block the sluice gates which can cause dam failure under some conditions. This was a contributing cause of the [[Banqiao Dam]] failure in 1975 that precipitated the failure of 61 other dams and resulted in over 20,000 deaths. Critics believe that the [[Yangtze]] will add 530 million tons of [[silt]] into the reservoir on average per year; in time, this silt could accumulate behind the walls of the dam, clogging the [[turbines]]' entranceway. However, because China has begun constructing four other megadams (see below) on the upstream of Yangtze since 2006, the sedimentation from upstream would be much less than originally predicted. But the absence of silt down stream would still have two dramatic effects:
* Some hydrologists think that this could make downstream riverbanks more vulnerable to flooding.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}
* The city of Shanghai, more than one thousand miles (1600&nbsp;km) away from the dam, rests on a massive plain of [[sediment]]. The ''"arriving silt -- so long as it does arrive -- strengthens the bed on which Shanghai is built... the less the tonnage of arriving sediment the more vulnerable is this biggest of Chinese cities to inundation..."''<ref>{{cite book
|last=Winchester
|first=Simon
|title= The River at the Center of the World
|publisher=Henry Holt & Co
|place=New York
|year=1998
|page=228
|isbn=9780805055085
}}</ref>

The Benthic sediment build up is a cause of biological damage and reduction in aquatic [[biodiversity]].<ref>{{cite book
|last1=Segers
|first1=Henrik
|last2=Martens
|first2=Koen
|title= The River at the Center of the World
|publisher=Springer
|year=2005
|page=73
|isbn=9781402037450
}}</ref>

===National Security Concerns===
In an annual report to the [[United States Congress]], the [[United States Department of the Defense|Department of Defense]] cited that in Taiwan, “proponents of strikes against the mainland apparently hope that merely presenting credible threats to China’s urban population or high-value targets, such as the Three Gorges Dam, will deter Chinese military coercion.”<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/d20040528PRC.pdf
|title=Annual report on the military power of the People's Republic of China (.pdf)
|publisher=''[[US Department of Defense]]''
|accessdate=2007-01-28
}}</ref>

The notion that the [[Military of the Republic of China]] would seek to destroy the Dam provoked an angry response from the [[mainland China]] media. [[People's Liberation Army|People’s Liberation Army]] [[General Liu Yuan]] was quoted in the ''[[China Youth Daily]]'' saying that the People’s Republic of China would be "seriously on guard against threats from [[Taiwan independence]] terrorists".<ref>{{cite news
|date=[[2004-09-14]]
|publisher=BBC
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3654772.stm
|title=Troops sent to protect China dam
|accessdate=2007-01-28
}}</ref>

==Future projects upstream==
In order to maximize the utility of the Three Gorges Dam and cut down on sedimentation from the [[Jinsha]], a tributary of the Yangtze river, China plans to build a series of dams upstream of the Yangtze river, including [[Wudongde Dam]], [[Baihetan Dam]], [[Xiluodu Dam]], [[Xiangjiaba Dam]], and downstream of [[Jinsha]]. The total capacity of those four dams is 38,500 MW,<ref>[http://www.chinapower.com.cn/newsarticle/1008/new1008554.asp 中国三峡总公司拟在金沙江上建４座梯级水电站 总装机容量为３８５０万千瓦_中国电力网(www.chinapower.com.cn)新闻中心<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> almost double the capacity of the Three Gorges.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/sandt/estnews030703.htm
|title= Beijing Environment, Science and Technology Update
|publisher=U.S. Embassy in China
|date=[[2003-03-07]]
|accessdate=2008-01-20
}}</ref> There are also another eight dams in the midstream of the [[Jinsha]] and eight more upstream of it.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.waterpowermagazine.com/story.asp?storyCode=2041318
|title= Beyond Three Gorges in China
|publisher=Water Power Magazine
|date=[[2007-01-10]]
|accessdate=2007-10-13
}}</ref>

==References in culture==
* In [[Max Brooks]]’ novel ''[[World War Z]]'', the large artificial lake upstream of the dam is the site of the initial [[zombie]] outbreak before the war; a superstitious character suggests that the outbreak is a retribution for the destruction of ancient holy sites. Later in the novel, the Dam is overrun by zombie hordes, which make the emergency pressure release valves impossible to reach. This eventually results in the Three Gorges Dam rupturing, resulting in a massive tsunami which races to the ocean, destroying what remains of Wuhan, Nanjing, and Shanghai. This results in the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War.<ref>Matthew S. Muller. Amazon.com review of ''World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War''.</ref><ref name="culturemall"/>
* In the novel ''Dragon Bones'' by [[Lisa See]], a murder investigation takes place at the Three Gorges Dam.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.lisasee.com/dragonbones.htm
|title=Lisa See - Dragon Bones
|accessdate=2008-01-19
}}</ref>
* In the video game [[Civilization IV]] the dam is a World Wonder, providing power to the entire continent.<ref name="culturemall"/>
* In the video game [[Command & Conquer: Generals]], the dam is blown up by both the Chinese government and a terrorist organization under plot lines. (It is first blown up by the Chinese as a desperate effort to drown the terrorists with the water behind the dam, while the terrorists blow up a rebuilt dam to flood the Chinese.) The series is banned in China.<ref name="culturemall"/>
* [[Jia Zhangke|Jia Zhangke’s]] film, ''[[Still Life (2006 film)|Still Life]]'', describes the destiny of two couples with connections to the dam.<ref name="culturemall"/>
* [[Yung Chang]]'s 2007 award-winning documentary film, ''[[Up the Yangtze]]'' features the effects of the dam on various people along the Yangtze River<ref name="culturemall"/>
* Artists David Kelley and Patty Chang's video installation, "[[Flotsam Jetsam]]", features actors from a local Chinese Opera troupe performing on board an American Nuclear Submarine that is passing through the Three Gorges Dam to the reservoir up river. The sub's journey becomes an imaginative performance exploring identity, space and memory.
*"Kilowatt Dynasty," 2000, is a video by London-based Dutch artist Saskia Olde Wolbers. The fictional work is narrated by an Anglo-Chinese girl whose parents meet in an underwater shopping center constructed entirely of glass. The mother is the hostesses of a teleshopping program that shoots on location; the father is a radical environmentalist who kidnaps her.

==Images==
<gallery perrow="3">
Image:Dreischluchtendamm hauptwall 2002.jpg|Construction of the main dam including cranes.
Image:Drei-Schluchten-Damm (Jangtse).jpg|Nearly completed Three Gorges Dam, downstream side.
Image:3 gorges dam at night.JPG|Downstream side at night.
Image:200407-sandouping-sanxiadaba-4.med.jpg|Upstream side before filling.
Image:Dreischluchtendamm schleusen.jpg|Locks under construction (view from above).
Image:3GorgesDamLock.jpg|Inside a lock of the Three Gorges Dam.
</gallery>

<gallery perrow="3" caption="Model of the dam">
Image:TGDModelSpillwayView.jpg|Spillway view.
Image:TGDModelShipLocks.jpg|Ship locks.
Image:TGDModelAuxSouthDam.jpg|South dam.
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Energy}}
*[[Hydraulic geoengineering]] (China region)
*[[Hydropower]]
*[[Hydroelectricity]]
*[[List of reservoirs and dams]]
*[[List of the largest hydroelectric power stations]]
*[[:Category:Hydroelectric power plants by country]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{cite news|url=http://english.gov.cn/2006-05/20/content_286525.htm|title=Three Gorges dam to facilitate flood control ahead of time|last=Yang Lei| date = 20 May 2006|publisher=Chinese Government}}
*[http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/ 中国长江三峡开发总公司]
* [http://chinadigitaltimes.net/tag/three-gorges-dam/ Digital Times' coverage on Three Gorges Dam]
* [http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/china/three-gorges-dam International Rivers] - information page on the Three Gorges Project
* [[BBC News Online]] - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3654772.stm Troops to protect dam against terrorists] - September 14, 2004.
* [[BBC News Online]] - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5000092.stm Dam wall completed] - May 20, 2006.
* [[BBC News Online]] - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/asia_pac_three_gorges_dam/html/1.stm In pictures: Three Gorges Dam] - May 20, 2006.
* [http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/397-Backgrounder-Wet-politics-in-China chinadialogue] 中国与世界，环境危机大家谈 - article about the politics of water in China
* [http://uptheyangtze.com ''Up the Yangtze''] - a documentary film about the impact of the Three Gorges Dam project
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5000198.stm "Three Gorges dam's social impact"] by Jill McGivering, ''BBC News'', May 20, 2006, retrieved May 20, 2006
*[http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSPEK6744820071114 " As China's mega dam rises, so do strains and fear", Reuters November 14, 2007.]
*{{cite news
|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/world/asia/19dam.html?fta=y&pagewanted=all
|title=Chinese Dam Projects Criticized for Their Human Costs
|publisher=New York Times
|author=[[Jim Yardley]]
|date=[[2007-11-21]]
|accessdate=2007-12-09
}}
*{{cite news
|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/world/asia/22gorges.html?fta=y
|title=China to Address Issues Around Dam
|publisher=New York Times
|author=[[Jim Yardley]]
|date=[[2007-11-22]]
|accessdate=2007-12-09
}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/20d888b0-87d1-11dc-9464-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
|title=Sold down the river
|publisher = [[Financial Times]]
|first = Jamil |last= Anderlini
|date=[[2007-10-31]]
|accessdate=2008-01-20}}
*{{cite web
|url= http://www.probeinternational.org/catalog/content_fullstory.php?contentId=6790&cat_id=7
|title= THREE GORGES ORAL HISTORY SERIES: Absence of Justice: Lu Chengming's Struggle for Compensation
|author= Three Gorges Probe
|last=
|first=
|date= 2008-03-18
}}

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{{Energy in the People's Republic of China}}

[[Category:Yangtze River]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Hubei]]
[[Category:Dams in China]]
[[Category:Hydroelectric power plants in China]]

[[ar:سد صين عظيم]]
[[br:Stankell an Teir C'hanienn]]
[[ca:Presa de les Tres Gorges]]
[[cs:Tři soutěsky]]
[[cy:Argae'r Tri Cheunant]]
[[da:De Tre Slugters Dæmning]]
[[de:Drei-Schluchten-Damm]]
[[et:Kolme Kuru tamm]]
[[es:Presa de las Tres Gargantas]]
[[eo:Baraĵo Tri Gorĝoj]]
[[fr:Barrage des Trois-Gorges]]
[[ko:싼샤 댐]]
[[id:Bendungan Tiga Ngarai]]
[[is:Þriggja gljúfra stíflan]]
[[it:Diga delle Tre Gole]]
[[he:סכר שלושת הערוצים]]
[[ka:სანსია]]
[[lt:Trijų tarpeklių užtvanka]]
[[ms:Empangan Tiga Gaung]]
[[nl:Drieklovendam]]
[[ja:三峡ダム]]
[[no:De tre kløfters demning]]
[[pl:Zapora Trzech Przełomów]]
[[pt:Hidrelétrica de Três Gargantas]]
[[ro:Lacul Sanxia]]
[[ru:Санься]]
[[sl:Jez Treh sotesk]]
[[sr:Брана Три клисуре]]
[[sh:Brana Tri kanjona]]
[[fi:Kolmen rotkon pato]]
[[sv:De tre ravinernas damm]]
[[th:เขื่อนซานเสียต้าป้า]]
[[vi:Đập Tam Hiệp]]
[[zh-yue:三峽大壩]]
[[zh:三峡工程]]

Revision as of 20:34, 22 February 2009

i hate you!!!!!!!!!!

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