“Three Gorges” is not only the largest hydroelectric power station in the world, but also a national Chinese attraction, attracting many tourists from all over the world. The largest hydraulic structure, located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, was built to perform three main functions - generating electric energy, combating floods, and also to improve shipping conditions. The construction of this facility began in 1994, and nine years later, the station began to generate the first electricity. In July 2012, all construction work was completed, after which the largest hydroelectric power station in the world was officially put into operation.
The dam reaches a height of 185 meters and has the ability to pass 116 thousand meters of cubic water every second. The total number of hydraulic units is thirty-four. At the same time, the power of each of the thirty-two is 700 megawatts, and the remaining two (they are used for the facility’s own needs) are 50 megawatts. The total capacity of the "Three Gorges" is 22.5 gigawatts. As for the generation of electric energy, the largest hydroelectric power station annually has the ability to produce about one hundred billion kilowatt hours. It is interesting that initially the designers planned that the station would produce one tenth of all the energy generated in China. But while the construction of the facility continued, the country's needs increased significantly, now the energy provided by the giant hydroelectric power station is only two percent of the total.
One cannot fail to note the enormous importance that a hydropower plant has during floods. It so happened historically that these natural disasters have become a very serious problem for the Chinese population , because every year they take away a large number of human lives. In this regard, a whole cascade complex of reservoirs is now under construction on the Yangtze River . In addition to the Three Gorges, it includes the Gaezhoub Hydroelectric Station, built in 1988. In addition, seven more stations, which are currently under construction. The largest hydroelectric power station in the world has a reservoir with a capacity of 20 cubic kilometers. Without a doubt, it will significantly reduce the effects of the annual spring flood. It should be noted that in the absence of a reservoir, any hydroelectric power station becomes dependent on the water level in the river. After all, when it is lowered, power decreases sharply. And when floods occur, most of the meltwater is dumped idle.
The Three Gorges Hydroelectric Power Station is located in a picturesque area between the cities of Yichang and Chongqing. There are many cultural and natural attractions in the area. Due to its architectural originality, the largest hydroelectric power station in the world has been defined as the "pearl of the Yangtze River." In addition, the possibility of scientific and technological progress has always been of great interest to people, therefore it is not surprising that the Three Gorges hydroelectric power station began to be very popular among tourists even during construction.
As for domestic giants, the largest hydroelectric power station in Russia is the Sayano-Shushenskaya. Despite the fact that its declared capacity is 6400 megawatts, it occupies only seventh place in the world ranking. In addition to the "Three Gorges", the first three included such hydroelectric power plants as the Brazilian-Paraguayan Itaipu (14 thousand megawatts) and the giant Venezuelan hydroelectric power station - Guri (10.2 thousand megawatts).