The Biggest Dam: Engineering Marvel and Water Reservoir

By Magazine Team Last updated May 6, 2025 527 0

Contents

1 Engineering Marvel and Scale

2 Hydroelectric Power Generation

3 Flood Control and Navigation

4 Environmental and Social Impact

5 Comparison with Other Major Dams

6 Future Developments

7 References:

The Three Gorges Dam in China stands as the largest hydroelectric power station globally, both in terms of installed capacity and annual energy production. Located on the Yangtze River near Sandouping in Yiling District, Hubei province, this monumental structure exemplifies the pinnacle of modern engineering and large-scale infrastructure development.

Engineering Marvel and Scale

The Three Gorges Dam is a straight-crested concrete gravity dam, measuring approximately 2,335 meters (7,660 feet) in length and 185 meters (607 feet) in height. Its construction required around 28 million cubic meters of concrete and 463,000 metric tons of steel. The dam’s reservoir stretches upstream for about 600 kilometers (375 miles), submerging large areas of the Qutang, Wu, and Xiling gorges. This reservoir allows oceangoing freighters to navigate 2,250 kilometers (1,400 miles) inland from Shanghai to the city of Chongqing, significantly enhancing inland water transportation.

Hydroelectric Power Generation

The dam’s hydroelectric plant comprises 32 turbine generator units, each with a capacity of 700 megawatts, and two additional generators of 50 megawatts each, totaling an installed capacity of 22,500 megawatts. This makes the Three Gorges Dam the most productive hydroelectric facility in the world. In 2020, it set a new world record by producing 111.88 terawatt-hours of electricity in a single year.

Flood Control and Navigation

One of the primary purposes of the Three Gorges Dam is flood control. The reservoir has a flood storage capacity of 22 cubic kilometers, which is designed to reduce the frequency of major downstream flooding from once every 10 years to once every 100 years. This capacity aims to protect millions of people living downstream, including in major cities like Wuhan, Nanjing, and Shanghai.

Environmental and Social Impact

The construction of the Three Gorges Dam has been accompanied by significant environmental and social challenges. Approximately 1.3 million people were displaced due to the flooding of 13 cities, 140 towns, and 1,350 villages. The reservoir’s creation has also led to concerns about increased landslides and seismic activity in the region.

Comparison with Other Major Dams

While the Three Gorges Dam holds the title for the largest hydroelectric power station, other dams are notable for their size and capacity. For instance, Lake Kariba, formed by the Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe, is the world’s largest man-made lake by volume, holding approximately 180 cubic kilometers of water. Similarly, Lake Volta in Ghana, created by the Akosombo Dam, is the world’s largest artificial reservoir by surface area, covering about 8,502 square kilometers.

Future Developments

China has announced plans to construct an even larger hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, which is expected to surpass the Three Gorges Dam in size and capacity. This proposed project has raised environmental and geopolitical concerns, particularly among neighboring countries like India and Bangladesh, due to potential impacts on downstream water flow and the dam’s location in a high-risk earthquake zone.

To explore the latest innovations in water and energy technologies, and discover a wide range of products and solutions from around the world, you can visit the virtual exhibition AQUA ENERGY EXPO which featuring leading companies in water treatment, desalination, and sustainable energy through the following link:
https://aquaenergyexpo.com/