China Dam Switches On Power (Three Gorges Dam)

BBC ^ | 7-12-2003

[blam]

China dam switches on power

China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest water control project, has begun generating electricity.

China says it badly needs the electricity the dam will generate The first of the dam's 26 generators to go into operation was connected to the power grid at 0131 local time on Thursday (1831 GMT on Wednesday), 20 days ahead of schedule, Xinhua news agency reported.

The generating unit will supply 12.9 million kWh per day to the power grids in central and east China, the project's vice general manager said.

Yang Qing said the unit would have to pass a 30-day trial operation, before beginning commercial production in August.

The combined energy of all the dam's 26 generators will eventually generate more than 80 billion kWh of electricity each year.

Massive project

The Three Gorges dam is unprecedented in both the scale of its construction and the number of people who have been forced to move to make way for the project.

By the time it is completed, the water level will reach a depth of 175 metres (574 feet), and create a reservoir which is 600 kilometres (375 miles) long.

Many villages and towns - and even some small cities - along the banks of the densely populated Yangtze have already been submerged by the rising waters.

More than 600,000 people have been forced to relocate, some as far away as Shanghai, 1,000 km (600 miles) east. About 1.3 million people will eventually have to move.

China's leaders say the country needs the 180bn yuan (US$22bn) dam to produce electricity, as well as control the annual flooding of the Yangtze.

But critics are worried about the destruction of dozens of cultural heritage sites.

And they say that if the dam breaks, it would spell disaster for those living down-river.

Many environmentalists have also warned about the danger of soil erosion, as well as pollution caused by trapped sewage and industrial waste.

[raybbr]

More power for new manufacturing plants. Can't wait to move to China for work.

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[RonHolzwarth]

"they say that if the dam breaks, it would spell disaster for those living down-river."

Beg to differ. That should read WHEN the dam breaks.

China's record of building dams that fail and produce devastating floods is terrible.

Plus, all the weight of that much water is likely to accelerate the next earthquake in that earthquake prone area, which, you guessed it, will quite likely cause failure of the dam.

And, what a wonderful target for terrorists!

One little pop, and Shanghai is GONE!

[SubMareener]

12.9 million kWh per day = 4.70 megawatts. By comparison, Hoover Dam's capacity is slightly more than 2,000 megawatts.

[Publius6961]

I guess they have lots of ding-dongs at the BBC still writing this stuff.

Is it a report on hydroelectric production or more greenie touchie-feelie handwringing?

[Dubh_Ghlase]

Wasn't thie the dam that developed several major cracks as it was being filled???

[Petronski]

The combined energy of all the dam's 26 generators will eventually generate more than 80 billion kWh of electricity each year.

Someone correct my math: 80 billion kWh is 80 million Megawatthours, which is 80 thousand Gigawatthours, which is 80 Terawatthours.

80 Terawatthours?

[El Sordo]

That's a big twinkie.

[RonHolzwarth]

re:"Wasn't thie the dam that developed several major cracks as it was being filled???"

No, I think those happened while it was still being built.

[SierraWasp]

"No, I think those happened while it was still being built."

Well, actually, there were several articles posted on FR that were composed by the orchestrating "Negativity Nazis" in the American EnvironMental CommuNutty that just HATE any possible economic progress, especially by a Commonist Cuntry like China!!!

They were "crying wolf" again, like they have for decades in this nation... everything from "fish are dying for the evil humans," to "reservoir induced seismicity," to "you'll ruin ecotourism of the commercial whitewater rafting industry," yada, yada, yada!!!

They stopped one here that was 2/3rds completed in 1977 yelling "It's got an ancient FAULT under it" when every danged dam in CA is already built on or near a fault, already!!!

If anyone really cared enough, they could probably trace a distinct connection right back to the CA based "Friends (Fiends) of the River" 501(c)3 corporation that runs interference for CA's "C" corp whitewater rafting ramada who think it's more important to play with water than to slow it down enough to make needed power, grow food and jobs of all kinds, or stop devastating natural environment ruining floods!!!

I also see their "unseen hand" in the attempt to drive farming out of the Klamath Falls scenario because it screws up whitewater rafting flows and their obscene profits!!!

[commish]

Actually both .. A series of cracks developed during the pouring of the concrete (poor chinese construction methods) which were subsequently patched.

More cracks have since developed once the resevoir started filling -- but these have been deemed minor and the dam pronounce sound by the Agency overseeng the safety of the dam (yeah I believe that)

The first big test for the dam will be during the upcoming flood season --- the biggest test will be the next earthquake in that region.

As much as I like progress, I think this Dam is the next great Engineering Disaster waiting to happen -- and I think it will happen within the next 5 years.

[Rebelbase]

This is a "rolled-in-place" concrete dam, not a poured-in-place job like anything we have over here....Its basically built like an earthen dam, except they are using a dryer mix and compacting it instead of vibrating it a form.

I beleive its gonna leak between the layers pretty good, but since its concrete, the danger of washout far less than if it were earth.

[SwinneySwitch]

Damn, I didn't think they could do it!

[commish]

Learn something new everyday. I was under the impression that this was a poured dam.

The cracks make more sense now as part of the layering process, and may actually be less of a danger as they would have been in a poured dam. I was taking the cracks to be a result of a poor pouring process and a sign that the dam might be structurally flawed.

Question : what do you rate the chances of one of the layers failing when the ground starts shaking.

[Rebelbase]

This is one of the largest structures ever built by man (volume), if not the largest. Its gonna be here long after the human race is gone. But by that time, the valleys behind it will have silted over and it will become a very nice waterfall!

[farmfriend]

EnvironMental CommuNutty

You do have a way with words.

[Lessismore]

12.9 million KWh/day divided by 24 hours/day = 537.5 MW. Times 26 generators = 13975 MW for the total output. Since there are 365.25 * 24 hours per year, the annual production is 122,504,850 MWh/year, or more than 122 billion kWh per year. Presumably the 80 billion kWh per year figure in the story allows for operation at less than peak output.

[SauronOfMordor]

12.9 million Kwh/day divided by 24 hrs/day = 0.537 million killowatts steady power = 0.537 gigawatts = 537 megawatts, versus Hoover Dam's 2000 megawatts

[SauronOfMordor]

Presumably the 80 billion kWh per year figure in the story allows for operation at less than peak output.

At any given time, some turbines will be down for maintenence. Plus the sustained power output cannot exceed the physical limits of available water. Most likely, full power would drain the lake fairly quickly.