China comes under the world's spotlight when its gigantic Three Gorges dam neared completion last week. The world's largest hydroelectric dam, which is more than five times the size of the Hoover Dam (Wikipedia), aims to tame the flood-prone Yangtze River, the nation's longest and the 3rd worldwide. It will be able to combat a super big flood occurring once in 100 years as of 2006 and will start to take effect in flood control two years ahead of schedule (Xinhua News).
Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, including the 2,300-meter-long, 185-meter-high dam with 26 power generators, is being built in three phases on the middle reaches of the Yangtze river. In addition to flood control functions, the gigantic project is expected to generate 85 bn kwh of electricity annually when it is finally completed by 2008, a year ahead of schedule (Xinhua News) .
As a global leading energy consumer, China desperately needs electricity for its booming economy. The Three Gorges project is a critical part of China's energy strategy as the dam's hydropower turbines are expected to create as much electricity as 18 nuclear power plants (CNN). And it will greatly cut down the occurrence of disasters of coal mine incidents across the country.
But the project, at cost of $24bn in total, has been incurring criticism both from domestic and abroad in regard to its investment and environment impact.
Critics say that the human cost has been far too high. More than a million people have been resettled to make way for the dam. At least 1,200 towns and villages will be submerged under the rising waters of the dam's reservoir (BBC).
Activist Dai Qing was quoted by the BBC as saying that: "The dam is causing more problems than solutions, insisting the electricity produced by the dam is much more expensive than that produced in other ways, because it costs tons of money to relocate local people and to offset the disasters it has caused to build the dam."
Allegations of corruption among officials involved with the project have raised fears of shoddy construction. Of further concern are claims the dam might become an environmental disaster. There have been little to no attempts made toward removing accumulations of toxic materials and other potential pollutants from industrial sites that will be inundated. Experts say such materials could leach into the reservoir, creating a health hazard (CNN).
Zheng Shouren, member of the Academy of Engineering of China was quoted by China's state-run Xinhua News agency as saying that the Three Gorges Project plays a key role in the flood control system of the Yangtze River due to its location, size and landform, explicating that the Three Gorges Reservoir is capable of holding 22.15 bn cubic meters of water when it attains a normal water level of 175 meters.
Dr. John Byrne, director of the University of Delaware's Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, said on CNN that: "The project's conception was monumental. This was seen in the early years [of the project] as a way to show the advanced nature of Chinese society under socialism, to solve a problem that has existed in China for thousands of years... But when you're doing something on this scale, you should really make solving the problems your first priority. Unfortunately, China has decided to launch the project -- then solve the problems along the way."
No doubt China's huge Three Gorges Project is a controversial issue. In the UK there is strong debate over pollution-free energy sources such as windfarms, which are voted against due to its ugliness and blocking the views. In response, Mrs C A Young from Tiverton said on BBC that "wake up and look to the future". This discussion is taking place over the aesthetics of wind turbines in a country which has some of the highest electricity bills in Europe. It appears that people there would rather pay the high bills than exploit the country's rich and renewable energy resources.
Links: Three Gorges Location
Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, including the 2,300-meter-long, 185-meter-high dam with 26 power generators, is being built in three phases on the middle reaches of the Yangtze river. In addition to flood control functions, the gigantic project is expected to generate 85 bn kwh of electricity annually when it is finally completed by 2008, a year ahead of schedule (Xinhua News) .
As a global leading energy consumer, China desperately needs electricity for its booming economy. The Three Gorges project is a critical part of China's energy strategy as the dam's hydropower turbines are expected to create as much electricity as 18 nuclear power plants (CNN). And it will greatly cut down the occurrence of disasters of coal mine incidents across the country.
But the project, at cost of $24bn in total, has been incurring criticism both from domestic and abroad in regard to its investment and environment impact.
Critics say that the human cost has been far too high. More than a million people have been resettled to make way for the dam. At least 1,200 towns and villages will be submerged under the rising waters of the dam's reservoir (BBC).
Activist Dai Qing was quoted by the BBC as saying that: "The dam is causing more problems than solutions, insisting the electricity produced by the dam is much more expensive than that produced in other ways, because it costs tons of money to relocate local people and to offset the disasters it has caused to build the dam."
Allegations of corruption among officials involved with the project have raised fears of shoddy construction. Of further concern are claims the dam might become an environmental disaster. There have been little to no attempts made toward removing accumulations of toxic materials and other potential pollutants from industrial sites that will be inundated. Experts say such materials could leach into the reservoir, creating a health hazard (CNN).
Zheng Shouren, member of the Academy of Engineering of China was quoted by China's state-run Xinhua News agency as saying that the Three Gorges Project plays a key role in the flood control system of the Yangtze River due to its location, size and landform, explicating that the Three Gorges Reservoir is capable of holding 22.15 bn cubic meters of water when it attains a normal water level of 175 meters.
Dr. John Byrne, director of the University of Delaware's Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, said on CNN that: "The project's conception was monumental. This was seen in the early years [of the project] as a way to show the advanced nature of Chinese society under socialism, to solve a problem that has existed in China for thousands of years... But when you're doing something on this scale, you should really make solving the problems your first priority. Unfortunately, China has decided to launch the project -- then solve the problems along the way."
No doubt China's huge Three Gorges Project is a controversial issue. In the UK there is strong debate over pollution-free energy sources such as windfarms, which are voted against due to its ugliness and blocking the views. In response, Mrs C A Young from Tiverton said on BBC that "wake up and look to the future". This discussion is taking place over the aesthetics of wind turbines in a country which has some of the highest electricity bills in Europe. It appears that people there would rather pay the high bills than exploit the country's rich and renewable energy resources.
Links: Three Gorges Location
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