Comprehensive Benefits of Three Gorges Project

Comprehensive Benefits of Three Gorges Project – Flood Control

"Along the thousands miles long Yangtze River, the most dangerous part is Jinjiang River." The Jianghan Plain and Dongting Lake Plain where Jinjiang River flow by is very fertile. It is grain depot, cotton mountain, oil sea, and the land of plenty, also one of the richest regions on the Yangtze River Basin. The flood control problem in Jinjiang River part is the most important and serious problem in the middle and down reaches of the Yangtze River. The normal water level of Three Gorges Reservoir is 175 meters high and the flood control capacity is 22,150 million cubic meters, which can effectively guarantee the flood control in Jingjiang River part. It also plays an important role in the flood control of middle and down reaches of the Yangtze River.

Comprehensive Benefits of Three Gorges Project - Power Generation

The total installed capacity of Three Gorges Hydropower Station is 18,200,000 KW, and annual generating capacity is 84700 million KWH.

The underground power station of Three Gorges is located on the right bank of the junction, which generates power by using waste water. It can increase the utilization efficiency of Yangtze River water power. After the six machines in the underground power station was put into operation, adding the 26 machines on the left and right banks of the dam, the total installed capacity reached 22,500,000 KW, and the annual maximum generating capacity is 100,000 million KWH.

The Three Gorges Power Transmission Project is important project of national power source which approved by National People's Congress in 1992, total investment is 34,859 millions RMB. The transmission line is 6,519 kilometers long, passing by Central China, East China, South China and Southwest and some other regions, including over 160 county-level Administrative Regions. It is praised as the largest and most complex mixed power transmission system in the world. In the end of 2010, The Three Gorges power transmission projects had sent out 449,230 millions KWH, that is the generation capacity of 162 million tons coal. Until to March, 2011, the Three Gorges Power Station Power Transmission Line Project which had experienced 20 years demonstration and construction was complete.

Comprehensive Benefits of Three Gorges Project – Navigation

The Three Gorges Project is located on the conjunction place of the Yangtze River upper reaches and middle reaches. This location is very good. For the upper reaches, it can channelize the river course from Sandouping to Chongqing; for the down reaches, it can increase the flow amount of the Yangtze River below Gezhouba Dam in the dry season. It can fully improve the navigation condition from Chongqing to Wuhan, and satisfy the development need of Yangtze River navigation.

Three Gorges ship lift is arranged on the left bank of the dam, which mainly used to offer a fast passage for large Yangtze Cruise when passing by the dam. It will become an effective supplement of the double line five stages ship lock of Three Gorges; greatly improve the efficiency of passing by the dam.