 |
| A cargo fleet is waiting in the fifth chamber of the
permanent ship lock of the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River
during a trial navigation, June 16. Xinhua
Photo |
YICHANG, June 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Construction of the
Three Gorges Project on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River will concentrate
on three major tasks on the southern side in the next six years.
¡¡¡¡The tasks are the
construction of the giant dam on the southernbank, workshops to house 12
generators, and the vertical ship lift, said an executive of the China Yangtze
River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation.
¡¡¡¡Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, consisting of a dam, workshops
for 26 generators and facilities for navigation, is being built in three stages.
¡¡¡¡Preparations and construction of the first phase were carried out between
1993 and 1997, and the second phase took from 1998 to 2003. The new phase
features the reservoir's water storage, the operation of the first group of
generating units, and the passage of ships through the permanent sluice gate.
¡¡¡¡About 70 percent of the Three Gorges Project, which is expectedto cost 180
billion yuan (21.69 billion US dollars), has been completed.
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|
A policeman waves to celebrate the successful trial navigation of a fleet
through the permanent ship lock of the Three Gorges Project, June 16.
Xinhua Photo |
¡¡¡¡The third phase of the project will see the water level reach the expected
altitude of 175 meters.
¡¡¡¡Concrete pouring in dam construction on the southern bank wouldstart soon
and reach a peak in 2004, said the executive.
¡¡¡¡By May 2007, the 665-meter dam on the southern bank should be ready to hold
water and the water level in the Three Gorges reservoir will rise to 156 meters.
All civil engineering work on the southern bank will be finished by December
2007.
¡¡¡¡Installation of the 12 generators will start in December 2005. The first
two generators will begin operation in 2007 and the others, by late December
2009.
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| The water level of the Three Gorges Reservoir reached the
predetermined 135 meters on June 10, five days ahead of schedule.
|
¡¡¡¡The vertical ship lift is designed to expedite passage of passenger ships,
and the details of its construction of are still under consideration. Building
of the lift is expected to start in 2005 for service in 2009.
¡¡¡¡On completion, the lift will accommodate a ship up to 3,000 deadweight tons
(dwt) or barges of 1,500 dwt. By 2009, the Three Gorges Project, where 26
power-generating units with a combined capacity of 18.2 million kw will be
operational, will be able to generate 84.7 billion kwh of electricity annually.
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