Three Gorges Dam cost is ¥249 billion (US$37 billion), showed on the audit result of the Three Gorges Project’s final accounts. More exactly, this is the dynamic investment in total. The audit result suggests that the static investment is ¥135 billion (US$ 20 billion).
Where exactly did the money go?
| Three Gorges Dam Cost | Static Investment | Dynamic Investment |
|---|---|---|
| Pivotal Project | ¥50 billion (US$ 7.3 billion) | ¥126.4 billion (US$ 18.4 billion) |
| Power Transmission and Transformation | ¥32 billion (US$ 4.7 billion) | ¥36.5 billion (US$ 5.3 billion) |
| Immigration and Resettlement | ¥53 billion (US$ 7.7 billion) | ¥85.7 billion (US$ 12.5 billion) |
| Total | ¥135 billion (US$ 20 billion) | ¥249 billion (US$ 37 billion) |
Notes:
1. The calculation is based on the price level at the end of May in 1993. 2. Static investment includes engineering fees of construction and installation, equipment and tools, other construction costs, basic reserve fees, etc. 3. Dynamic investment refers to the sum of estimated investment needed by the whole Three Gorges Dam Project. In addition to the static investment, it also includes loan interests in construction period, adjustment tax for investment direction, price and interest rate, reserve fees for price rise, and so on.
Where did the money come from?
China’s government used multiple methods to raise funds to cover the huge Three Gorges Dam cost, by loans from China State Development Bank, benefits from electricity power of Gazhouba Dam, national debts, corporate bonds, etc. Moreover, Three Gorges Project Construction Fund was collected with an additional electric charge of ¥0.003 per kWh since 1992. In 1994, the charge was changed into ¥0.004/kWh; and ¥0.007/kWh in benefited areas of Three Gorges hydropower station since 1996. In the later period, the benefits of the partially operated Three Gorges hydropower station also became a source of the fund.
Three Gorges Dam cost has been recovered.
Three Gorges Dam began to make profits since 2003 when the first batch of power generating units were put on production. Up to 2018, the annual power produced by Three Gorges Hydropower Station has exceeded 100 billion kWh, and the accumulated electric energy production has reached 1.2 trillion kWh, from which the accumulated income is as high as ¥300 billion (US$ 44 billion), calculated on the electricity price of ¥0.25/kWh. That means the Three Gorges Dam cost has been recovered.
Payback of Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Hydropower Station is the largest hydropower enterprise around the world, bringing more than ¥50 billion (US$ 7.3 billion) income every year, in which the net profits reaches ¥20 billion (US$ 2.9 billion). And this keeps rising year by year. In the year of 2018, its income was ¥51.2 billion (US$ 7.5 billion) and the net profit was ¥22.6 billion (US$ 3.3 billion). Someone joke that Three Gorges Dam has been a money printer of China. In addition, plenty of benefits have been made from tourism in the dam area.
But the payback of Three Gorges Dam cannot be measured simply by financial profits. It plays active roles in flood control, irrigation, navigation, etc., which saves people’s life and boost the economy development, which can never be calculated with money.
50 Facts About The Three Gorges Dam
By
Last updated on November 27th, 2022
The Three Gorges Dam demands superlatives. Its unprecedented scale makes it the largest in the world, leading some to call it “The Other Great Wall of China.” The country relies on the dam to tame nature, generate power, and boost trade. The controversial project entailed countless sacrifices, but proponents argue that the positives vastly outweigh the negatives. You decide. Read on to learn 50 facts about the Three Gorges Dam.
The Three Gorges Dam at a Glance
1. What’s in a Name?
The dam is in the Hubei province, within a scenic area featuring canyons or gorges carved by the mighty Yangtze River. The elegant peaks, overlapping cliffs, and lush woods attract millions of tourists. The “Three Gorges” are called the Qutang, Wu, and Xiling.
2. Claim to Fame
It’s all about power. The Three Gorges Dam holds the world record for the highest installed generating capacity: 22,500 megawatts. That is 10x more than the capacity of Hoover Dam!
3. Annual Output
More rainfall equals more energy. In 2020, the active monsoon season helped it achieve a world record of 112 Terawatt-hours – enough to power the bustling New York City for over two years.
4. Project Timeline
You can’t rush greatness. Construction started on December 14, 1994, and work on the dam body continued until 2006. Meanwhile, the power plant became fully operational in 2012, and the ship lift opened in 2015.
5. Dam Type
Gravity is the dam’s best friend. The Three Gorges Dam relies on the weight of the concrete structure to hold the water back. Gravity dam design requires independent stability for every section.
6. Construction Cost
Nothing compares in size and complexity. Naturally, the Three Gorges Dam cost a fortune. Estimates have it at roughly 203 billion yuan or US$31.765 billion.
7. Dam Dimensions
Imagine a building 60 stories high. Now stretch that structure for over two kilometers. That’s the scale of the Three Gorges Dam: 2,335 m long, 181 m high, and 40-115 m thick. Incredibly massive.
8. The Reservoir
The water parks here. The Three Gorges Reservoir is 600 kilometers long with an average elevation of 175 meters. It has a capacity of 39.3 cubic kilometers.
9. The Spillway
During torrential rain, the spillway will release water to prevent overtopping. The maximum release rate is 116,000 cubic meters per second – that’s 27 times higher than that of the flawed Oroville Dam spillway.
10. The Power Station
The Three Gorges Dam turns the energy of moving water into electricity. Inside are 32 turbines rated at 700 megawatts each. Two additional Francis-type turbines add a total of 100 megawatts.
The History of the Three Gorges Dam
11. A Grand Vision
It started with a dream. Sun Yat Sen, considered the “Father of the Nation,” envisioned a large dam on the Yangtze River. It was part of his international development plan for China back in 1919.
12. Preliminary Work
In 1932, the Nationalist government of Chang Kai-shek initiated planning. Unfortunately, the Japanese occupation stopped it and many other projects. The invaders, thinking they would win the war, even made designs called the “Otani Plan.”
13. Savage Visits
John Savage, the brains behind the Hoover Dam, went to China in 1944 to survey the site and draw a proposal. Chinese engineers also went to the US for training. However, the Chinese Civil War halted work in 1947.
14. Communist Revolution
Mao Zedong led the communists to victory. They supported the Three Gorges project but chose to prioritize another dam. Dwindling funds eventually made it difficult to move forward.
15. The 1954 Flood
A long rainy season caused catastrophic flooding in Wuhan. Over 33,000 people died, and almost 19 million evacuated. Moved by the destruction, Mao Zedong wrote a poem about the Great Stone Wall rising on the gorge to catch the rains.
16. Goodbye, Chairman
Sometimes, words are just words. Even the most powerful man in China could not build the Three Gorges Dam within his lifetime. Wars, politics, and economic challenges prevented him from doing so until he died in 1976.
17. Reemergence
In the 1980s, economic development and population explosion made it necessary to generate more power. Li Peng, an electrical engineer, became the premier of China in 1988. He campaigned for the dam’s construction.
18. Approval
In 1992, the National People’s Congress 67.75% approved the dam. Critics warned against the effects on the residents and the environment. Others lauded the project as a vital source of clean energy.
19. The Human Cost
Do the benefits outweigh the costs? Creating the reservoir meant flooding 600 square kilometers of land upstream. The area covered 13 cities and hundreds of villages. Over a million people had to move elsewhere with little government support.
20. The Cultural Cost
More than a thousand historical and archeological sites are now underwater. A few survived, such as the 1,700 yrs old Zheng Fei Temple, which caretakers moved brick-by-brick to a higher elevation.
Materials and Economics
21. Initial Estimates
How do you budget for the most ambitious project in the world? The government’s initial estimate was 180 billion yuan or US$22.5 billion: half for construction and half for relocation. However, the project exceeded this by about $10 billion.
22. Return on Investment
You have to earn what you burn. The power plant helped recoup the cost of construction by selling electricity to surrounding cities. It needed to generate a thousand terawatt-hours to break even, and it did just that in 2013.
23. Funding Sources
No single entity would take on that much risk. China had to pool the money from different sources, including loans from domestic and foreign banks. They also issued corporate bonds, tapped profits from a nearby dam, and collected additional charges from provincial customers.
24. Expectation versus Reality
China had big goals for the big dam. The expectation: provide 10% of the country’s power needs. However, electricity demand outpaced projections. In 2011, its tremendous output accounted for only 2% of Chinese energy consumption. Bummer!
25. Concrete
The Three Gorges was insatiable. The long towering structure required 27.2 million cubic meters of concrete, most of which went into the dam wall, effectively setting a new world record.
26. Steel
Concrete needs reinforcement. The dam consumed 463,000 tons of steel for added strength. With this much metal, you can build 63 Eiffel Towers and have a bit more to spare.
27. Earth
Preparation comes before construction. The team had to move 102.6 million cubic meters of earth to create the cofferdam and protect the site from floods. Heavy equipment hauled soil and rocks non-stop.
28. Number of Workers
Building something grand? You’ll need a lot of hands. With the Three Gorges, the number of workers reached 26,000 at the peak of construction. These include both Chinese and foreign employees.
29. Generators
Mammoth machines went into the power plant. The 32 main generators have an 80-meter hydraulic head. Each of them weighs roughly 600 tons. Their manufacture required joint ventures between Chinese and western companies, including Siemens and General Electric.
30. Installation Progress
It was a gradual process. Each generator had to pass multiple tests. The first became operational in 2003, whereas the last of the 32 units went online in 2012. They now light up Wuhan, Nanjing, and Shanghai.
The Construction Process
31. First Cofferdam
It’s a busy waterway. Ships had to keep going, so the first cofferdam blocked only a portion of the river. They used boulders to keep the water out while they went ahead with construction. A narrow passage enabled continuous commercial activities.
32. Main Dam
With the cofferdam in place, they could build the first two sections of the dam wall, including the spillway for excess water. They drained the area within the border for a dry worksite.
33. Second Cofferdam
It was time to finish the wall. Workers moved tons of rock to block the narrow passage and covered the surface with concrete. A temporary concrete wall also went up to keep the water out while they built the last section.
34. Cofferdam Removal
Excavating the first cofferdam was easy. After all, it was just a pile of stones. The second was concrete, so it needed an explosive exit. In a snap, 200 tons of dynamite turned it into rubble.
35. Concrete Cooling
Hot concrete is no match for cool engineers. The Three Gorges applied Hoover Dam techniques like using discrete blocks and chilled water tubes. They also cooled the materials before mixing and sprayed mist to block solar radiation.
50 Facts About The Three Gorges Dam
By
Last updated on November 27th, 2022
36. Spillway Ramp
Release water straight down? Not a good idea. The water’s tremendous force may erode the ground and damage the foundation. The solution? Make the water ramps curve upward to create vortices, dissipate energy, and prevent erosion.
37. Improved Design
The water ramp isn’t new. It’s a technique borrowed from the Grand Coulee Dam in the US. However, the curved sections are above the water in the Three Gorges, making the droplets fly into the air before landing 100 meters beyond the wall.
38. Shipping Solution
How do ships travel across the wall? They float higher and higher. The Three Gorges Dam has the most prominent ship lock in the world. After vessels enter, the door closes, and the water rises to make them float up and over the wall.
39. A Faster Way to Pass
Ships take four hours to pass through the locks. Cargo ships don’t mind, but passenger boats can be impatient. For faster transit, they can take the giant elevator. The mechanism can lift vessels weighing 3,000 tons!
40. Flushing Out the Sediment
Floods have a silver lining: they bring nutrients to the soil to improve harvests. By preventing floods, dams also trap sediments in the water. The Three Gorges Dam flushes them out by opening gates near the bottom of the wall, preventing build-up and helping farmers.
Random Facts About The Three Gorges Dam
41. Slowing Down the Earth
How big is the Three Gorges Dam? Well, big enough to affect the Earth’s rotation! According to NASA, its operation increases the length of a day by 0.06 microseconds. It also made the planet a bit rounder in the middle and flat on the poles.
42. Comparing Energy Output
One is better than two. Three Gorges Dam makes more energy in a year than the world’s largest coal and gas-powered plants – combined! It’s far from perfect, but it helps reduce carbon emissions while solving China’s energy needs.
43. Battle of the Dams
The Itaipu Dam is small but mighty. The structure stands on a waterfall, so its turbines get a consistent flow of fast-moving water. It allows the South American wonder to produce more energy than the Chinese behemoth if seasonal droughts limit its production.
44. Forest Cover
It was a thriving ecosystem. In the 1950s, 20% of the area had forest cover. In 1997, it was down to 10%. The 1998 Yangtze floods pushed the government to restore tree cover, particularly upstream of the Three Gorges Dam. The area has been recovering since then.
45. The Birthplace of China
Most ancient civilizations rose near water. It’s the same for the first communities in China, which leaned on the Yangtze River for sustenance. The ancient cities of Guizhou and Wushan are now underwater in the dam’s reservoir.
46. Decreased Flood Frequency
Officials say that it’s worth the sacrifices. The region used to experience one disastrous flood every decade. With the dam, “superfloods” may only occur once every century. It will save countless lives and properties.
47. Increased Shipping Activities
The dam tames the wild Yangtze River. Controlled flow makes it safer for navigation. More ships can pass without worries throughout the year. They estimate that cargo will increase from 10 million to 100 million tons annually.
48. Rival on the Horizon
Records will always tumble. The proposed Grand Inga Dam in the Congo may dislodge the Three Gorges Dam if it pushes through. With an installed capacity of 40 to 70 gigawatts, it would be the largest power station in the world.
49. New China Dams
China is not resting on its laurels. It recently completed four smaller dams with a total capacity of 38,500 MW – nearly double that of the Three Gorges – to address its hunger for power.
50. Cultural Icon
The grandeur of the Three Gorges Dam draws people in. They hold various events around it, including mass weddings where couples promise their eternal love in front of their national symbol for strength and stability.
Three Gorges project: An engineering marvel delivering remarkable benefits
Date: December 14, 2024
The Three Gorges project, as the world’s largest water control and hydropower project, has generated immense benefits in flood control, power generation, navigation and water regulation.
The primary function of the Three Gorges project is flood control. Since its completion, the Three Gorges Reservoir has successfully prevented or mitigated floods nearly 70 times, intercepting and storing more than 220 billion cubic meters of floodwater.
As of early October 2024, the Three Gorges Hydropower Plant had generated a total of 1.66 trillion kWh of electricity, equivalent to saving 528 million tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.43 billion tonnes.
Meanwhile, the ship locks at the Three Gorges Dam had operated 207,000 times, handling 1.05 million vessels and transporting more than 2.12 billion tonnes of cargo. As of early November, the Three Gorges ship lift had handled 29,000 vessels, facilitating the passage of 1.39 million passengers and 18.11 million tonnes of goods.
The Three Gorges Reservoir has replenished more than 360 billion cubic meters of water to meet the demand for water use in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River for a cumulative 2,686 dry-season days.
