China's Three Gorges Project to be completed in five years

All construction works on the Three Gorges Project will have been completed by 2015, said a spokesman with the developer, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC), Friday.

An underground power station with six hydropower turbo-generators being cut beneath the mountain on the southern bank of the Yangtze River and a lift for vessels on the river's northern bank are the remaining parts to be constructed, said the spokesman.

The multi-functional water control system, believed to be the world's largest, began construction 18 years ago. Its main works include a gigantic dam, a five-tier ship lock. In addition to hydropower generation, the project is also capable of flood control and navigation.

The Three Gorges Project has had 26 hydropower turbo-generators in operation. By its completion, the project is capable of generating 100 billion kwh electricity a year, the spokesman said.

By the end of 2010, the project had generated more than 440 billion kwh of electricity since it started to generate power in 2003.

Source: Xinhua