The social responsibility report from China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) says the project – located on the Yangtze River – has helped control flooding, provided clean energy, improved transportation and helped alleviate poverty in the region.
The report comes as critics claim there is string of environmental, geologic and economic problems associated with the massive project. Last month, the State Council, led by Premier Wen Jiabao, acknowledged ‘urgent problems’ at the project, including issues with relocation and ecological and geological problems such as an increased risk of landslides, although they said the dam should not be blamed for drought issues in the country.
The Three Gorges project is due for final completion in 2015. Work started on the scheme 18 years ago, and major features include a dam and a five-tier system of navigational locks. It has had 26 turbine generators, which by the end of 2010 had generated more than 440TWh of electricity since first output in 2003.
Upon completion, the complex should be able to generate 100TWh of electricity a year.
