YICHANG, February 5 (Xinhuanet) -- A total of 15.1 billion yuan (1.
82 billion U.S. dollars) will be spent on constructing the mammoth
dam near the Three Gorges on the middle reaches of the Yangtze
River this year.
   This sum is the largest investment since construction of the
water control project started ten years ago, said an official with
the China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development
Corporation.
   According to the official, 8.7 billion yuan (1.05 billion U.S.
dollars) of this investment will be used for the relocation of
more residents from the site of the Three Gorges project or the
reservoir area.
   More than 73 billion yuan (8.8 billion U.S. dollars) has
already been spent on the Three Gorges Project since the project
was launched in 1993. The entire project, located near Yichang in
central China's Hubei Province, is estimated to cost a total of
180 billion yuan (21.69 billion U.S. dollars) and will be finished
in 17 years.
   Installing metallic structures and debugging electronic
products and machinery will be the most important task this year,
said the official, who added that workers would also need to pour
1.4 million cu m of concrete in the new year, 2.6 million cu m
less than last year.
   Water storage at the Three Gorges will begin in 2003, when the
first group of generating units and the permanent ship lock will
be put into operation.
   The project consists of a 1,983-meter-long and 185-meter-high
dam and 26 generating units with a combined capacity of 18.2
million kw and an annual output of 84.7 billion kwh. The permanent
ship lock can accommodate ships of 10,000 dwt.  Enditem