Diversion Channel near Three Gorges Dam to be cut off on Nov.6
( 2002-10-31 16:38 ) (8 )

The Three Gorges Dam's man-made diversion channel built for the passage of ships during the second-phase construction is set to be dammed by Nov. 6.

, China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation announced Wednesday.

At a specially-convened news briefing, Li Yong'an, Party secretary and also deputy general manager of the corporation, said the timing of the damming, recommended by the assessment committee, had been approved by Premier Zhu Rongji.

An on-site headquarters for the damming has been set up, with Peng Qiyou, head of the corporation's engineering and construction department, as the commander-in-chief.

The process will consist of the building of two cofferdams, with the Gezhouba Dam Group Company in charge of building the upstream cofferdam and the hydroelectric unit of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force responsible for the construction of the downstream cofferdam.

The damming of the channel will pave way for the third-phase construction of the huge hydroelectric dam, 2,309 meters long and 185 meters high.

Following the canal damming, water will be discharged mainlyfrom 22 diversion holes on the lower part of the main dam, each six meters wide by 8.5 meters high.

The first two phases of the Three Gorges Project were concentrated chiefly along the northern bank. The mainstream of the Yangtze, China's longest river, was first dammed in November 1997.

The construction of the Three Gorges Project, which began in 1993, is expected to be completed in 2009, when 26 power generating units with a combined capacity of 18.2 million kilowatts will go into operation. The permanent locks will also be able to accommodate ships of more than 10,000 DWT (dead weight tonnage).

The first group of four power-generating units will begin operation next year.