| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Yangtze River near Sandouping in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, China |
| Dam Name | Three Gorges Dam |
| Completion Year | 2006 |
| World Record (2020) | Annual power generation volume at 111.88 terawatt hours |
| Introduction | Started in 1994, the Three Gorges Dam stands as a monumental engineering achievement and was the largest engineering project in China at the time. |
| Initial Generation Record | 2014: Produced 98.8 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity (world record at the time). 2016: Surpassed by the Itaipu Dam at 103.1 TWh. |
| Capacity | 22,500 megawatts (MW) |
| Height and Length | 185 meters (607 feet) high, 2,335 meters (7,660 feet) long |
| Reservoir Size | 666 km long, covering 632 sq km (one of the world's largest man-made lakes) |
| Construction Materials | 28 million cubic meters (37 million cubic yards) of concrete and 463,000 metric tons of steel |
| Environmental Impact | Lowered carbon emissions but affected river ecosystems, increased landslides and earthquakes, and displaced 1.3 million people. |
| Historical Background | 1920s: Initial discussion. 1953: Gained attention under Mao Zedong. 1992: Approved by the National People's Congress. |
| Phase Completion | 1997: First phase completed. 2003: Reservoir began to fill. 2012: All 32 turbine generators became operational. |
| Flood Control | Designed to protect millions from periodic flooding in the Yangtze basin. Effectiveness debated during 2020 heavy floods. |
| Navigation System | Includes a ship lock and ship lift facilitating oceangoing freighters to travel 2,250 kilometers (1,400 miles) inland from Shanghai to Chongqing. |
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