Three Gorges Dam, one of Top 3 World's

Most Expensive Single Objects.

The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the
town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China.
Is the biggest dam, consuming more stone, concret than any other. It is also the biggest
hydro electric power plant.

A great environmental achievement, Something that the chinees people are very proud
of..The body of this gigantic dam was completed in 2006. Except for a ship lift, the
originally planned components of the project were completed on October 30, 2008,
when the 26th generator in the shore plant began commercial operation.Each generator
has a capacity of 700 MW.Six additional generators in the underground power plant
won't be fully operational until 2011. See Pictures on, Top 3 World's Most Expensive
Single Objects

Coupling the dam's 32 main generators with 2 smaller generators (50 MW each) to
power the plant itself, the total electric generating capacity of the dam will eventually
reach 22.5 GW.This kind of project generates a large amount of electricity, increases the
river's shipping capacity, and reduces the potential for floods downstream by providing
flood storage space.

From completion through September 2009 the dam has generated 348.4 TWh of
electricity, covering more than one third of its cost.The Chinese state regards the project
as a historic engineering, social and economic success, with the design of state-of-the-
art large turbines, and a move toward limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the dam flooded archaeological and cultural sites and displaced some 1.3
million people, and is causing significant ecological changes, including an increased risk
of landslides. The dam has been a controversial topic both in China and abroad.
When the project is completed, you can expect a total cost of 180 billion yuan, that's
around 30 billion USD.. The lower costs are attributed to a low inflation rate rather than
lower spending. By the end of 2008, spending had reached 148.365 billion yuan, among
which 64.613 billion yuan was spent on construction, 68.557 billion yuan on relocating
affected residents, and 15.195 billion yuan on financing.

It will take 1,000 TWh of electricity for the total of the project cost to be recuperated,
yielding 250 billion yuan.

This is a great investment as it will only take ten years to fully recover the total
cost.Power received by every province from the Dam has to pay ¥7.00 per MWh extra.
Other provinces had to pay an additional charge of ¥4.00 per MWh. Tibet pays no
surcharge.
See Pictures on, Top 3 World's Most Expensive Single Objects