February 8, 2012 admissions of trouble at three gorges dam by chinas powerful state council last spring, left many wondering how the behemoth dam ever got off the drawing board. The three gorges dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the yangtze river by the town. Top tourist attractions for the yangtze river cruise are chongqing dazu carvings, three gorges, lesser three. The three gorges dam project on the central yangtze near yichang, construction of which officially began in 1994 and was largely completed in 2006, has been the largest and most ambitious attempt to harness this potential. The three gorges dam has been the worlds largest power station in terms of installed capacity 22,500 mw since 2012.
The dam will drown more than 100 towns once the water starts to rise in 2003. It forms a manmade lake that stretches almost 410 miles 660 km upstream. In terms of the amount of electricity it generates, its the worlds largest power station. The project calls for the construction of a concrete dam, a hydroelectric power plant and a series of locks just below the scenic three. Although it is able to produce massive amounts of clean power, many believe that the problems outweigh the benefits. In fact, government chinese scholars even claim that the three gorges dam directly caused the extinction of the baiji. The social element of three gorges has generated more questions than answers. Problems caused by three gorges dam, yangtze three gorges. Being the worlds largest hydropower project, this dam has created many firsts such as the most efficient dam in flood control, the most difficult construction work and the largest migration. At the onset of the project, many foregi n companei s,nci ul dngi t hea mercian company merrill lynch and other wellknown corporations, were eager to invest and to be involved in order to gain rich financial benefits. The purpose of the dam was not only to generate energy but also to prevent the river from flooding 3. It is located in the middle section of xiling gorge near sandouping town in yichang city, hubei province. Things you may not know about the history of the three. Environmental and social issues of the three gorges dam in.
On the left and right of the spillway will be two giant power stations see below. The tgd is a hydroelectric concrete gravity dam that spans the yangtze river, in hubei province. All cruise ships pass through the dam, but cruises differ on the dam tour details. It is a multi objective dam with great benefits in flood control, power generation, navigation and so on. Thethree gorges project on the yangtze river in china. A mission in every sense of the word, building the three gorges dam on the yangtze river in china has been considered the most enormous and expensive engineering project the world has ever know. Situated in central china, the three gorges dam is 1.
The river dragon has come three gorges dam and the fate of chinas yangtze river and its people. The three gorges dam is a hydroelectric dam on the yangtze river in china. The three gorges dam just the facts the three gorges dam is the largest and most powerful hydropower project in the world, a true engineering marvel. Dachang, had stood since the period of the three kingdoms, with farms and houses and even trees said to be centuries old. Now, in a first, behind the scenes, account of raw power politics, guo yushan from chinas transition institute describes how three gorges critics were silenced. This is an example of a large scale development project designed to. The three gorges project, the biggest dam under construction, can generate a. To build three gorges dam, a great amount of historical sites with cultural relics are submerged or partly submerged, including over 60 sites of paleolithic age, over 80 neolithic age sites, and more than 470 historical sites from han dynasty 202 bc 220 ad to ming 68 1644 ad and qing 1644 1911 ad dynasties. In fact, it now appears possible that as many as six million people in total will have. The dam created a vast reservoir and locks that facilitate dam. Maximum storage of water behind the dam is expected to occur sometime in 2008.
The three gorges dam is nearly 200 meters high, has a volume of 40 million cubic meters, and has created a reservoir 600kilometer long with a total storage capacity approaching 40 billion cubic meters. National center for case study teaching in science background with the recent increased focus on renewable energy sources, hydroelectric dams are being constructed at a record pace. The river dragon has come three gorges dam and the fate. The three gorges dam, yangtze river, china in the igcse geography specification, youre meant to know a case study for a dam or reservoir project, and i learnt this, so case study of a dam or reservoir project. The three gorges dam, then, lies at the uncomfortable center of chinas energy conundrum. One of the largest dams in the world, it also generates the biggest amount of hydroelectric power 22,250 megawatts, pushing the massive itaipu dam in brazil from first place to second place. Facts and figures the three gorges dam will consist of a 610foot high wall running 1. What, when, where, and why why there is an issue, or, more like, issues, with the three gorges dam is mostly because of how big the dam is. It is an indelible three gorges dam disaster and a great cultural loss of. The dam extends across the yangtze river in hubei province, china. In the three gorges dam, it is estimated that it helps reduce the emission of green house gases by 40 million tons of coal. Three gorges dam project is the short term for the water control project on yangtze river. Once completed, a 370mile long reservoir will be flooded and the dam will be able.
When the three gorges dam was completed, and reservoir waters began to rise, much of dachang had been disassembled, brick by brick, then rebuilt on higher ground. Three gorges dam summary1 along the yangtze river, in a section known as three gorges, the peoples republic of china is building what will be the worlds largest dam. Three gorges dam is the largest hydropower station in the world. On the river is a big dam called the three gorges dam, which is the biggest in the world. He said we should construct a dam to impound the water, and then make use of the water to produce energy. Pdf after several decades of planning and deliberations, the three gorges. Concrete pouring to form the worlds biggest dam, a giant that spans the yangtze river near yichang in central china, was completed on may 20, 2006. Much of the information on three gorges dam topics is. This was the first dam built across the yangtze river and it was intended that the experience gained from designing, building and. Construction began in 1994 and was completed in 2008. Phase 1 began in 1994 and ended in 1997 with the initial diversion of the yangtze river. The three gorges dam the three gorges dam is an unfinished project which will be the largest dam ever constructed on the planet earth. The reservoir created by three gorges dam threatens to flood the habitats of those species along with over 400 others, says jianguo liu, an ecologist at michigan state university and guest. Worldwide, there are more than 45,000 large hydroelectric dams, plus countless smaller dams built for navigation.
The reservoir created by the backflow of the dam will extend 360 miles up river to chongqing chongching, a distance equal to nearly half the length of california. Pdf on jan 1, 2009, peter h gleick and others published three gorges dam project, yangtze. The three gorges dam is located in the middle of the yangtze river, with a total power generating capacity of 22,500 megawattsfar larger than the world second largest dam in. Thethree gorges dam, china civil engineering23 the layout is similar to that of the smaller gezhouba dam built across the yangtze around 20 years ago at yi chang, 38 km downstream of the three gorges site fig. Three gorges dam and the fate of chinas yangtze river and its people qing, dai, thibodeau, john g. Three gorges dam article about three gorges dam by the. It is the largest hydro power project in the world. Chinese government acknowledges three gorges dam disaster. Construction began in 1993 but the dam is not expected to be fully operational until 2009. It is situated in china on the third largest river in the world the yangtze. The three gorges dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the yangtze river by the town of sandouping, in yiling district, yichang, hubei province, china. For more information on the usgsthe federal source for science about the earth. A chinese report found that the environmental impact from the three gorges dam was limited, despite concerns the dam contributed to a dire drought this year. The dam body was completed in 2006, and was fully operational in 2008.
The yangtze is the third longest river in the world, at almost 4,000 miles. The reservoir will cover 58,000 km 2, an area 16,700 km 2 larger than switzerland. Three gorges dam project, yangtze river, china worlds water. The three gorges dam, yangtze river, china multipurpose scheme. The three gorges dam project was completed on july. Three gorges dam, yangtze river, china, flood control, power generation. The three gorges dam has been called chinas most ambitious project since the great wall and. Three gorges dam simple english wikipedia, the free.
Introduction the three gorges dam is the largest concrete structure on the planet. Consequently, in spite of fact that adequate energy services is important for. The nations roaring economy is addicted to dirty, coalfired power plants that pollute the air and belch. The three gorges dam could not be built without support from international financial institutions. Three gorges dam, 607 ft 185 m high and 7,575 ft 2,309 m long, on the chang yangtze river, central hubei prov. Being one of the largest dams in the world, it also generates the biggest amount of hydroelectric power 22,250 megawatts, pushing the massive itaipu dam in brazil from first place to second place the three gorges dam project was completed. Create more jobs allow large ships to navigate the river and reach chungong create thousands of jobs develop new towns and farms. An ebook reader can be a software application for use on a computer such as microsofts free reader application, or a book sized computer that is used. In the center will be a 484meter spillway section with 23 bottom outlets and 22 sluice gates. Worldwide, there are more than 45,000 large hydroelectric dams, plus countless smaller dams built for navigation, flood control, and other uses duflo and pande, 2007. Geographical overview of the three gorges dam and reservoir. Tgd is fed by the yangtze river and its 26 turbines provide 18,000 megawatts of power.
Construction history of three gorges dam 1918, sun zhongshan a famous statesman and strategist of china put forward the original concept of three gorges dam in his book named industry plan. Learn all about the designing and building of the three gorges dam, as well as the. The three gorges dam site is 27 miles upstream from yichang city proper, at sandouping town, 38km upstream from the gezhouba dam lock, inside the third of the three gorges. In 2008, the dam authority attempted to fill the reservoir but stopped due to fears that it would trigger landslides in the upstream area of the reservoir. Water brief 3 three gorges dam project, yangtze river, china. It is planned to be by far the largest hydroelectric project in the world. Yangtze three gorges dam project, china yangtze river dam. Cons pros the issue the details so what is the issue with the three gorges dam.
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