Haven’t you heard about Daba Reservoir’s vital role in Guangzhou? Imagine standing before the vast expanse of Daba Reservoir. The water stretches out before you. It reflects the sky like a mirror.
Daba Reservoir is more than just a body of water. It plays a crucial role in flood control. It also helps with power generation and navigation. Daba Reservoir is a testament to human engineering.
Think about the Three Gorges Dam. It is the world’s largest power station by installed capacity. This dam generates a massive amount of electricity each year. The Three Gorges Dam generates 95 TWh of electricity per year on average. That depends on the rainfall in the river basin. The Three Gorges Dam even broke a world record in 2020. It produced nearly 112 TWh in one year.
Construction on the Three Gorges Dam started in 1994. It became fully operational in 2012. The ship lift was completed in 2015. Each main water turbine has a capacity of 700 MW. The Three Gorges Dam has 32 main turbines. Two smaller generators provide power to the plant. The total electric generating capacity is 22,500 MW.
The Three Gorges Dam increases shipping capacity. It reduces the likelihood of downstream flooding. The Chinese government sees it as a social and economic success. The Three Gorges Dam has faced controversy. Its construction displaced over 1.3 million people. It also inundated ancient and culturally significant sites.
Sun Yat-sen envisioned a large dam across the Yangtze River in 1919. Construction on the Three Gorges Dam started December 14, 1994. The dam raised the water level in the reservoir to 175 m by 2010. The dam is 2,335 m long. It is 185 m above sea level at its top.
The Three Gorges Dam project cost an estimated US$22.5 billion. The dam was expected to be fully recouped when it had generated 1,000 terawatt-hours of electricity. The entire cost was recovered by December 20, 2013.
Power generation is managed by China Yangtze Power. The Three Gorges Dam has 34 generators. 32 main generators have a capacity of 700 MW each. Two plant power generators have a capacity of 50 MW each. The total is 22,500 MW. The designed hydraulic head of the generators is 80.6 metres.
The first north-side main generator started up on July 10, 2003. The south side became operational on October 30, 2008. The last main generator finished its final test on May 23, 2012.
The Three Gorges Dam reached its design-maximum water level on October 26, 2010. The intended annual power-generation capacity of 84.7 TWh was realized. In 2012, the dam generated a record 98.1 TWh of electricity.
The Three Gorges Dam is a monumental feat of engineering. It provides power and flood control. It also sparks debates about environmental impact and displacement. Whether you see it as a triumph or a tragedy, Daba Reservoir and the Three Gorges Dam leave a lasting mark on China. The Three Gorges Dam also affects the world.