Construction of the reservoir of the Three Gorges damming project has been completed more than two weeks ahead of its scheduled filling.
The Three Gorges Project Development Corporation (TGPDC) announced here Tuesday all preparatory work had been completed and the sluice gate would be closed on June 1 to begin storing water.
The water level would be raised to 135 meters by June 15, while water levels on the upper reaches would rise no more than five meters daily so as to ensure the safety of shipping and the main dam, said the TGPDC.
The current water level at the Three Gorges stands at 80 meters. The 436-km-long Three Gorges area will become a vast lake.
Construction of the Three Gorges Project began in 1993 and is expected to finish in 2009, when 26 power generating units with a combined capacity of 18.2 million kilowatts will be in operation.
(People?s Daily May 14, 2003)
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