According to the information on the website of the China Three Gorges Project Corporation, China Yangtze Three Gorges Project is the biggest hydropower-complex project up until now in the world. It sets many world records. They can be summarized as follows:
1. With a total water storage capacity of 39.3 billion m3 and a flood storage capacity of 22.15 billion m3, the Three Gorge Reservoir can reduce flood discharge by 27000 m3 to 33000 m3 per second so that it can effectively take control of the floods in the upper reaches of Yangtze River and protect 15 million people and 23 million-mu land in Jingjiang Area against flood. This makes the Three Gorges project the most efficiently flood-resistant hydropower-complex structure in the world.
2. With total installed capacity of 18200 MW and annual electricity generating capacity of 84680 GW, the Three Gorges Hydropower Plant is the largest power plant in the world.
3. Three Gorges Project contains a large scale dam with 2309 47-meter long dam axis, a 483-meter water-releasing dam, 26 generator units with installed capacity of 700 MW each, and two-line five-level flight lock integrated with ship lift. This makes the project's scale second to none in the world either with regards to its individual components or the whole project.
4. While constructing the main buildings of the project, workers needed to scoop up and fill in about 134 million m3 earth and stone, pour 27.94 million m3 concrete, and install 0.463-million-ton steel and 0.2565-million-ton metal structures. Because of this, the quantities of this project are the most enormous in the world.
5. In 2000 the total amount of poured concrete was 5.4817 million m3 and the highest monthly amount is 0.55 million m3, which set a world record of pouring concrete. Thus, the Three Gorge Project is the most difficult project under construction in the world.
6. Yangtze River's discharge is 9010 m3 per second during river closure while its highest level of discharge is 79000 m3 per second when its water is lead another way. Therefore the construction of the Three Gorges Project faces the largest water discharge in world history for building hydropower complex structures.
7. The Three Gorges Project has a flood discharge gate with the world's largest capacity, the maximum amount of flood discharged from this gate can reach up to 10,2500 m3 per second.
8. The flight lock of the project has two lines, five levels and 133 meters high total head. Therefore it has the largest number of levels and highest total head of all its counterparts located in inner land rivers in the world.
9. The raised ship of the project is 120 meters long, 18 meters wide and 3.5 meters high. It can climb 113 meters and let 3000-ton ships pass. This makes it the biggest raised ship and also the most difficult one to be constructed in the world.
10. In order to complete Three Gorges Project, it is essential to move 1.13 million people from Three Gorges Area. This is the largest number of people ever moved in the history of the world for hydropower complex construction.
By People's Daily Online
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