Three Gorges Dam
Context:
Recently, China’s Three Gorges Dam was in news, stating is responsibilites for displacing massive amounts of water which could potentially affect the Earth’s rotation.
Relevance:
GS-01 (Physical Geography)
Three Gorges Dam:
- It is a hydroelectric gravity dam.
- It is the world’s largest power station in terms of installed capacity of 22,500 MW.
- On an average, the Three Gorges Dam generates 95±20 TWh of electricity per year.
- It is located on the Yangtze River in Hubei Province, China.
- The construction of the dam started in 1994 and was completed in 2012.
- The dam is 2,335 metres long and 185 metres high, creating a reservoir capable of holding 40 cubic kilometres of water.
- Functionality: Beyond generating electricity, the Three Gorges Dam was built to improve shipping capacity along the Yangtze River and reduce the risk of downstream flooding through flood storage space.
- NASA’s Concern: The redistribution of water from the dam’s reservoir may have a slight impact on the Earth’s rotation, though further studies are required to assess the long-term effects.
About the Yangtze River:
- It is the longest river in Asia and third-longest in the world.
- It originates from the Tibetan Plateau and dips in the East China Sea, stretching for about 6,300 km (3,915 miles).
- It is also famously known as the longest river in the world to flow entirely within one country.
- The river’s basin covers an area of 1.8 million square kilometers.
- Major tributaries: Yalung, Min, Jialing, Han (left bank) and Wu, Yuan, Xiang, Gan (right bank).