Navigation Advantages of Three Gorges Dam

The navigation advantages of Three Gorges Dam are very obvious. It can channelize part of river course on the upstream of the Yangtze River, and increase the flow rate of the middle stream of Yangtze River at dry season to guarantee the free-flowing of the waterway. It not only can improve the navigation of Yangtze River main stream, but also can promote and develop the navigation in tributaries of the Yangtze River.

The Three Gorges Dam is located on the conjunction place of the upstream and midstream of the Yangtze River (the Nanjin Pass – exit of Three Gorges – is the cut-off point of upstream and midstream, while the Three Gorges Dam is 38 kilometers away from the Nanjin Pass on upstream). With this good geography location, it can channelize the waterway from Sandouping to Chongqing, and increase the flow rate in the middle stream of the Yangtze River below Gezhouba Dam which can relatively fully improve the navigation condition from Chongqing to Hankow, met the Yangtze River navigation long term development need. The navigation advantages of Three Gorges Dam mainly perform as following aspects.

Navigation Advantages of Three Gorges Dam – Improve Navigation Condition

Ten thousand tons ships can directly reach Hankow from Chongqing, annual guarantee rate will over 50 percents. There are 139 points of riffle shoals, dangers shoals and shoals in the 660 kilometers range between Chongqing and Yichang. After the Three Gorges Dam built, it submerged all shoals in this range. In a year, the waterway in Three Gorges Reservoir area is adjusted by the deep reservoir for half a year and it can increase the discharge flow rate in dry season, making the waterway in middle stream average increased 0.5 meters which guaranteed ten thousand tons fleet can pass by.

Navigation Advantages of Three Gorges Dam – Giant Navigation Capacity

It increased the navigation capacity from Chongqing to Hankow, which can meet long term economy development need. Due to waterway condition limitation, annual single way through capacity of the waterway from Chongqing to Hankow was just 10 million tons before 2004. After Three Gorges Dam built, the annual single way through capacity can reach 100 million tons, the goods amount passing by the Three Gorges Dam can reach 50 million tons, which is meaningful for promoting the national economy quick development in Southwest China.

Navigation Advantages of Three Gorges Dam – Decrease Transportation Cost

The Three Gorges Dam can greatly decrease transportation cost, and fully take advantages of waterway transportation. After Three Gorges dam built, the improvement of the waterway condition promoted the ship type and fleet to develop toward standardization and large-scale. The transportation cost will decrease over 30 percents. It is beneficial for taking advantages of waterway transportation, and releasing the tension of railway transportation.