PRC file: Gezhouba Project-the first dam in the Yangtze River

Updated: 2009-11-15

Gezhouba project is the first dam in the Yangtze River built by China and is an important component of the Three Georges project. As a milestone in the history of China's hydropower construction, it represents China's national strength at that time.

Situated in Yichang city, Hubei Province, the project is a large-scale hydropower station which was researched, designed and constructed independently by China. Reaching to Zhenjing Mountain on the north bank of the river and to Shizibao on the south bank, the project mainly consists of the navigation locks, release sluices, flushing sluices, generating unit powerhouses and water-retaining structure. The dam is 2,595 meters long and the dam top is 70 meters high and 30 meters wide, presenting extraordinary magnificence.

Controlling 1 million km2 of the basin, the station has a storage capacity of 158,000m3, and 21 generating units with the total capacity reaching 2.715 million kw. Another generating unit was added and two generating units were reformed after the station was put into production, the current installed capacity of the station reaches 2.777 million kilowatts and the annual generating capacity is 15.7 billion kilowatt hour. The three tail gate can allow 10,000-tonnage large-scale fleet to pass through; and the maximum flood discharge volume, when the 27 release sluices and 15 flushing sluices are all opened, can reach 110,000m3 per second.

Studies on the project date back to the late 1950s. On Dec 26, 1970, Mao Zedong approved the application of constructing the Gezhouba Project and then the project officially started four days later. On Nov 21, 1972, Zhou Enlai said to the technical committee of the project that the Gezhouba Dam should be a pilot project of the Three Gorges Dam and the construction of this dam would be a runaway victory. Deng Xiaoping came to inspect the Gezhouba Dam on July 12, 1980, expressing his hope that the construction staff can move ahead to construct the Three Gorges Dam after this project.

The whole project has taken 18 years and can be divided into two phases. Phase I was finished in 1981, enabling the river diversion closure, water storage, navigation and the power generation of the first generating unit of Erjiang power station. Phase II extended from 1980 to the end of 1988 when the whole construction was completed. On Nov 27, 1991, phase II was examined and accepted by the state, marking the completion of the project.

In this exclusively constructed project, CGGC has finished 10.804-million-m3 earth and stone work, poured 11.458-million-m3 concrete, and produced and installed 223,000 tons’ metal structures, 76,000 tons’ reinforcing steel bars and 2.715-million-kw hydro-electronic generating units, making over a hundred hydropower construction records in China. The Gezhouba interception has won the golden prize of National Quality Award, and the Erjiang and Sanjiang Projects as well as the hydro-electronic generating units installation won the special award of the National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology and other awards. CGGC's success in Gezhouba Project has provided a reference and served as a practical preparation for the construction of the Three Gorges Project, making that China has leaped to the advanced world level in hydropower construction technology.

In the cascade planning for the main stream of the Yangtze River, the Gezhouba Project plays a role of reverse regulation for the navigation through the Three Gorges project, and the compulsory precondition for the latter. In the low-flow period, the Three Gorges power station shall regulate the peak of the power grid and whether the station is generating power imposes great influence on the discharge of water, thus causing unstable flow in the lower reaches and considerable variation of the water level in 24 hours. As such instability has an adverse effect on navigation and anchorage, the Gezhouba reservoir becomes a must for reverse regulation.

Besides, the 38-km-long river course between Sandouping to Nanjinguan can by no means allow 10,000-tonnage fleet to pass through, if it remains unchanged to channels. In that case, the Three Gorges project can hardly benefit navigation. Considering that, the Gezhouba reservoir is of great necessity to channelize this passage. According to statistics of Changjiang Three Gorges Navigation Administration, up to October 2009, the Gezhouba navigation lock has been operated for 357,400 times, and 1978,900 ships have passed through the dam, carrying 73.292 million passengers and 486 million tons' goods.

A 27m-high fall between Sandouping and Gezhouba can be used for power generation. Data from China Three Gorges Corporation show that by September 30, 2009, Gezhouba power plant has generated 388.788 billion kwh in total.

The Gezhouba Project has not only eased the electricity shortage in central China, markedly improved the river course of the Three Gorges, but also made great technological achievement and been widely praised both at home and abroad. The project has reached to or been close to advanced world levels in sediment research, cofferdam construction, large water volume and high head river closure technique, design, production and installation of large-scale navigation locks and water turbine generators, large-scale mechanized operation, artificial propagation of rare migrating fishes and resource conservation. In addition, the project had produced a capable team of research, design, construction and management on huge water conservancy and hydropower engineering, accumulating valuable experience and making practical preparation for the Three Gorges project.