Three Gorges Dam

On a rainy Friday afternoon we visited the Three Gorges Dam, touted by the Chinese government to be the largest in the world. And it is, sort of. Though it is neither the longest nor the tallest, it contains the largest number of turbines (32) and produces more electricity than any other dam in the world. Begun in the 1980’s and finished in 2008, the dam is a wonder of engineering. Another wonder is how the project was approved. Requiring a two-thirds majority in the national legislature, the proposal to build the dam received a majority vote of 68%. Once the vote was completed, the Chinese government went ahead without wasting any time. Some problems were simply solved on the fly. The complex also contains a five-stage set of locks that raise or lower ships 300 meters to continue their journey on the river. Our ship will pass through these locks tonight. Whatever one may say about the communist government of China, once it decides to complete a project, it does not delay. From an engineer’s perspective, the structure is beautiful. It takes its place with four other dams on the Yangtze River to provide China with clean energy and to control the annual flooding of the river.Read more