World's biggest hydroelectric plant fully operational

Caroline Morley, online picture researcher

(Image: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA/Rex Features)

Yesterday, after 19 years of construction, China's controversial Three Gorges Dam became fully operational with the opening of the last of its 32 turbine generators. The generators have a combined capacity of 22.5 million kilowatts, according to the company running the dam, The China Yangtze Power Company.

The news took me back to 2005, when I travelled down the Yangtze River after spending a year teaching biology in English to surly Chinese teenagers. I remember the sight of the dam looming into view - a massive wall of concrete connected to the landscape by trails of power lines and pylons. Even then, with the dam only half full, negotiating the locks down to the lower level of water of the biggest hydroelectric plant in the world took our boat six hours.

Most people I spoke to were strongly in favour of progress, and any concerns I raised for the environment were dismissed as sentimentality. Nevertheless, the Three Gorges Dam project has attracted criticism for its scant regard for the environment and alleged breaches of human rights. But I think everyone can agree that it is an impressive show of engineering might. I just wonder how and where China will wield that power next?

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/210c5bc1/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A120C0A70Cthree0Egorges0Edam0Efully0Eoperati0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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