Gezhouba Dam Hydro Electric Project
Bird's view
The experimental dam of the Three Gorges Project (TGP)
-- the Gezhouba Dam Hydro Electric Project is located at the lower end of the Three Gorges
in the suburbs of Yichang, 38 km downstream of the TGP.
 Electricity power for development of
China
The construction of the Gezhouba Dam project started on December 30, 1970
and ended on December 10, 1988. The dam is 2606.5 meters long and 53.8 meters high, with a
total storage capacity of 1.58 billion m3 and a maximum flood discharging capability of
110,000 m3/s. The two hydroelectric plants have 21 generating units with a total installed
capacity of 2.715 million kw and an annual output of 15.7 billion kwh, which is
transmitted to Shanghai, Henan Province, Hunan Province, Wuhan City, etc.
The annual one-way shipping capacity of the navigation facilities is 50
million tons and the total investment was 4.848 billion Chinese currency yuan (US$0.557
billion). The Gezhouba Dam Project is a cascade which regulates the tailwater flow from
the TGP and improves the conditions between the two dams. After completion of the TGP, the
annual guaranteed output of electricity from the Gezhouba Hydro Power Plant will be
increased by about 430,000kw. Therefore the two projects considered as twins through thick
and thin.
 Calm lake
The dam has several sluice-gates, or ship locks. Some sluice-gates are used for
accumulating water for irrigation during fraught seasons; some function for generating
electricity. But what is most interesting is how boats are lowered or raised by making use
of locks. When a boat from the lower level enters a sluice-gate, the gate is closed and
the boat is "locked in" between two gates. The water level rises gradually until
it reaches a higher level. When the other gate opens, the boat has already climbed up to a
higher level. Likewise, boats from a higher level could also easily get to the lower
level. This scene has now become an added attraction for visitors.
<More information about Gezhouba Dam>
Relating topics:
Three Gorges Project (TGP)
Why China Wants to Build the Three Gorges Dam
Brief Introduction to the Three Gorge Project
Construction
Report on Environmental Impact of the TGP
Gezhouba Dam
Some facts about
the Gezhouba Dam
How Did the Three Gorges Come into Existence
Three Travelers' Cave
Nanjin Pass
Yichang |
