For the next 3 days, we're going to cruise UP the Yangtze River, taking in the spectacular sights of the Three Gorges and seeing how the development of the largest hydro-electric power station in the world has changed the landscape - and the economy - of this part of China.
The Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydro-electric project in the world generating 22,500 megawatts of electricity. This compares to the TOTAL PEAK electrical consumption for ALL of the Province of Ontario on one day in July at 27,005 megawatts or the average consumption of 15,600 megawatts on a weekend in September. And the Ontario power is from ALL sources as compared to only one source for the Three Gorges!!! The dam will increase the Yangtze River's shipping capacity from 1,000 tonnes per barge to 10,000 tonnes and reduce the potential for floods downstream by providing flood storage space upstream.
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| Three Gorges Dam |
The Yangtse River
The Yangtze River or Chang Jiang is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world. It flows for 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from the glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the biggest rivers by discharge volume in the world. The Yangtze drains one-fifth of the land area of China and its river basin is home to one-third of the total population.
Along with the Yellow River, the Yangtze is the most important river in the history, culture and economy of China. The prosperous Yangtze River Delta generates as much as 20% of China's GDP. For thousands of years, people have used the river for water, irrigation, sanitation, transportation, industry, boundary-marking and war.
Xiling Gorge
The Xiling Gorge is the largest and most downstream of the three gorges. Forming nearly half the length of the entire Three Gorges region, it is a series of four different gorges: Precious Sword; Horse Lung & Ox Liver; Soundless Bell; and Shadow Play Gorges. The name "Xiling" dates back to the Three Kingdoms era (220–280) and has played an important role in China's history. Before the dam was constructed, the gorge was the most dangerous to travel through with its frightening whirlpools and strong rapids. Since the construction of the dams, the river's depth has increased from 10' in some areas below the dam, to well over 330' throughout the reservoir's length.
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| Xiling Gorge |
As we travel through the Xiling Gorge, we'll be traversing the Three Gorges Dam in the afternoon.
Three Gorges Dam
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| Map of Three Gorges Dam |
A large dam across the Yangtze River was envisioned by Sun Yat-sen in "The International Development of China" in 1919. A dam capable of generating 30 million horsepower (22 gigawatts) was possible downstream of the Three Gorges. In 1932, the Nationalist government, led by Chiang Kai-shek, began preliminary work on plans in the Three Gorges. In 1939, Japanese military forces occupied Yichang and surveyed the area. A design, the Otani plan, was completed for the dam in anticipation of a Japanese victory over China.
After the 1949 revolution, Chairman Mao Zedong supported the project but the nearby Gezhouba Dam was started first. Economic and social problems, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, slowed progress. During the 1980s, the idea of a dam re-emerged and the construction of a dam was approved in 1992. Construction started in December of 1994 with an anticipated completion by 2009. However, additional projects such as the underground power plant with six additional generators, delayed full operation until May of 2012. The ship elevator is expected to be completed in 2014.
The dam raised the water level in the reservoir to 566' (172.5 m) above sea level by the end of 2008 and the designed maximum level of 574' (175 m) by October 2010.
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| The Yangtse - Before & After Three Gorges Dam |
Made of concrete and steel, the dam is 7,661 ft (2,335 m) long. The top of the dam is 607 ft (185 metres) above sea level. The project used 35.6 million cubic yards (27.2 million cubic metres) of concrete mainly for the dam wall, 463,000 tonnes of steel (enough to build 63 Eiffel Towers) and moved 134.2 million cubic yards (102.6 million cubic metres) of earth. The dam wall soars 594 ft (181 metres) high above the bedrock.
When the water level is at its maximum of 574 ft (175 metres) above sea level (which is 361 ft (110 metres) higher than the river level downstream), the dam reservoir is about 410 miles (660 kilometres) in length and 3,700 feet (1.12 kilometres) in width. It contains 31.9 million acre-feet (39.3 km3) of water covering an area of 403 square miles (1,045 square kilometres). On completion, the reservoir flooded a total area of 244 square miles (632 square kilometres).
It was estimated the Three Gorges Dam project would cost 180 billion yuan (US$22.5 billion). By the end of 2008, spending had reached 148.4 billion yuan, with 64.6 billion yuan spent on construction, 68.6 billion yuan on relocating affected residents, and 15.2 billion yuan on financing. It is estimated the construction costs will be recovered when the dam has generated 1,000 terawatt-hours of electricity, yielding 250 billion yuan. Full cost recovery is expected to occur ten years after the dam starts full operation.
According to the National Development and Reform Commission of China, 366 grams of coal would produce 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity during 2006. At full power, Three Gorges reduces coal consumption by 31 million tonnes per year, avoiding 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, millions of tonnes of dust, one million tonnes of sulfur dioxide, 370,000 tonnes of nitrous oxide, 10,000 tonnes of carbon monoxide, and a significant amount of mercury. Hydro-power saves the energy needed to mine, wash, and transport the coal from northern China.
From 2003 to 2007, electricity production was equal to 84 million tonnes of coal, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 190 million tonnes, sulfur dioxide by 2.3 million tonnes, and nitrous oxides by 980,000 tonnes.
The dam increased the Yangtze's barge capacity sixfold, further reducing carbon dioxide emission by 630,000 tonnes. From 2004 to 2007 a total of 198 million tonnes of goods passed through the ship locks. Compared to using trucking, barges reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 10 million tonnes and lowered shipping costs by 25%.
The project includes two sets of lift-locks, one for upsteam traffic and one for downstream traffic. Each set consists of 5 locks which raise the ships and barges in increments of 15 metres (50').
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| Ship Locks |
However, the day isn't over yet! We've got the Captain's Dinner to attend!
Tomorrow we continue our cruise on the Yangtze River along the Three Gorges Dam and the Wu and Qutang Gorges.
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