Essay On Three Gorges Dam

Three Gorges Dam - Introduction The Three Gorges dam is the world’s largest hydroelectric dam that was opened in the year 2008(construction started in the year 1994) across the Yangtze River in the Hubei province in China. The 24-billion dollar project has been a major source of renewable power for an energy-hungry nation and is also a way to prevent floods. Officials believe that the dam will protect some 15 million people from such deadly waters, as well as 1.5 million acres (607,000 hectares) of farmland. The dam is some 1.4 miles (2.3 kilometers) long and 607 feet (185 meters) tall—five times larger than the U.S.'s Hoover Dam. This dam could potentially power the entire nation and generates electricity equivalent to 18 nuclear power plants

Today, ships and larger boats can now pass through to the delta which resulted to a more complex but beneficial transport network for goods and people. With a final depth of 525 feet, larger ships can be used to transport products up and down the Yangtze River. This increased navigability will increase the economy in the area. • Trade is estimated to increase five times in the Central China.
• Transportation costs are expected to reduce by 35-37%. This enhanced navigability is furthered by the ship-locks at the Three Gorges Dam. They are big enough to allow twelve large commercial ships to travel over the dam at once.
• According to the Chinese government, the dam will have paid off all its debts by the year 2012, a mere three years after completion is scheduled.
Economic Issues
• The energy produced by this dam may not be used well because China has a very unproductive approach when it comes to power production. Plus, the design of the power allotment for this dam is intended for urban population, which in turn deprives the rural population.
• The construction of this dam destroyed approximately thousands of archeological sites forever which could have earned revenue to the government through