The mammoth Three Gorges water control project will generate a total of 100 billion kw/h by the end of this year, Li Yong'an, general manager of China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation, said on Friday.

It currently generates 180 million kw/h of electricity every day.

This year alone, the project will generate 50 billion kw/h of electricity, or the annual power consumption of Beijing.

The project has put into operation generators with a combined installed capacity of 9.8 million kw, or one tenth of the installed capacity of all Chinese hydropower plants, Li said.

Currently, the project encompasses 14 generating units on the northern bank of the Yangtze River and 12 units on the southern bank, each with an installed capacity of 700,000 kw.

The generating units on the northern bank become functional a year ahead of schedule, bringing huge economic returns and social benefits, Li said.

The Three Gorges project, the largest of its kind in the world, will use an estimated total investment of 180 billion yuan (22.2 billion US dollars) and is scheduled for completion in 2009.

Source: Xinhua