Apart from producing electricity, the Three Gorges Dam, a multi-functional water control system costing USD 22.5 billion, is intended to increase the Yangtze River's shipping capacity and reduce the potential for floods downstream by providing flood storage space.
It is the first time all 32 generators, including the last turbine, started up at the same time, said Zhang Chengping, head of the machinery and electronic engineering bureau of the China Three Gorges Corporation.
The outbound flow rose to 34,000 cubic meters per second on Monday evening due to floodwater from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and it was sufficient for the operation of the 32 generators, which has a full load of 700,000 kw each, he said.
The 32 generators of the 180-billion-yuan Three Gorges project, which was launched in 1993, have a combined generating capacity of 22.4 million kw, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Located in Yichang city in central China's Hubei province, the dam is 2,309-meter-long and has a height of 185 -meters. It has five-tier ship lock to facilitate smooth shipping operations.
The construction of the Three Gorges project began in 1993 and was finished in 2009. It started generating electricity in 2003.