The dam's body was completed in 2006; the power plant became fully operational in 2012,[10][11] when the last of the main water turbines in the underground plant began production. The last major component of the project, the ship lift, was completed in 2015.[12]
Each of the main water turbines, state-of-the-art at their installation,[13] has a capacity of 700 MW.[14][15] Combining the capacity of the dam's 32 main turbines with the two smaller generators (50 MW each) that provide power to the plant itself, the total electric generating capacity of the Three Gorges Dam is 22,500 MW[14][16][17] with minimal greenhouse gas emissions.[18]
The dam increases the Yangtze River's shipping capacity and reduces the likelihood of the sort of flooding downstream that have killed millions of people on the Yangtze Plain. As a result, the Chinese government regards the project as a monumental social and economic success.[19]
However, it is controversial domestically and abroad.[20][21][22][23] The dam's construction displaced more than 31 million people and inundated ancient and culturally significant sites. In operation, the dam has caused some ecological changes, including an increased risk of landslides.[24][25]
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^Ma, Yue (November 26, 2010). "Three Gorges Dam". large.stanford.edu. Stanford University. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
^三峡工程2018年发电量、过闸货运量刷新历史纪录 [The Three Gorges Project's 2018 power generation and cargo volume through the gate set new historical records]. news.china.com.cn (in Chinese). China News Service. January 10, 2019. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019.
^三峡地下电站机电设备全面移交投产 [The mechanical and electrical equipment of the Three Gorges Underground Power Station is fully handed over and put into operation]. ctg.com.cn (in Chinese). China Three Gorges Corporation. July 5, 2012. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
^世界最大“升船电梯”三峡大坝试验成功 [The world's largest "ship lift" Three Gorges Dam successfully tested]. news.cnhubei.com (in Chinese). Chutian Jinbao. January 14, 2016. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
^中国长江三峡工程开发总公司 [Our country's large-scale hydropower unit manufacturing has reached the world's advanced level]. ctgpc.com.cn (in Chinese). China Three Gorges Corporation. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
^三峡工程左右岸电站26台机组全部投入商业运行 [All 26 units of power stations on left and right banks of the Three Gorges Project have been put into commercial operation]. ctgpc.com.cn (in Chinese). China Three Gorges Corporation. October 30, 2008. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
^一座自主创新历史丰碑 三峡工程的改革开放之路 [The road to reform and the opening up of the Three Gorges Project, a historical monument of independent innovation] (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. February 3, 2009. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
^中国长江三峡工程开发总公司 [The Three Gorges Hydropower Station has brought huge economic benefits and the cumulative power generation has exceeded 300 billion kWh]. ctgpc.com.cn (in Chinese). China Three Gorges Corporation. April 8, 2009. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
^Yang, Lin (October 12, 2007). "China's Three Gorges Dam Under Fire". Time. Archived from the original on March 31, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009. The giant Three Gorges Dam across China's Yangtze River has been mired in controversy ever since it was first proposed
^Laris, Michael (August 17, 1998). "Untamed Waterways Kill Thousands Yearly". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2009. Officials now use the deadly history of the Yangtze, China's longest river, to justify the country's riskiest and most controversial infrastructure project – the enormous Three Gorges Dam.
^Grant, Stan (June 18, 2005). "Global Challenges: Ecological and Technological Advances Around the World". CNN. Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009. China's engineering marvel is unleashing a torrent of criticism. [...] When it comes to global challenges, few are greater or more controversial than the construction of the massive Three Gorges Dam in Central China.
^Gerin, Roseanne (December 11, 2008). "Rolling on A River". Beijing Review. Archived from the original on September 22, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009. ...the 180-billion yuan ($26.3 billion) Three Gorges Dam project has been highly contentious.
^重庆云阳长江右岸现360万方滑坡险情-地方-人民网 [There are 3.6 million square meters of landslides on the right bank of the Yangtze River in Yunyang, Chongqing]. People's Daily Online (in Chinese). April 10, 2009. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
^探访三峡库区云阳故陵滑坡险情 [Visiting the Yunyang Guling Landslide Danger in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area] (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. April 9, 2009. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2009.