ABSTRACT
In the aftermath of constructing the colossal Aswan High Dam in Egypt, a host of negative environmental impacts were reported by researchers, and high dam construction around the world has been in a slump since the late 1960s. By the late 1970s, after a hiatus of a little over a decade, these huge engineering projects became fashionable again. This is especially true in developing countries. In 1986, Venezuela completed the Guri Dam, the largest in the world at the time. With a 10,000 MW generating capacity, it can produce as much electricity as ten large nuclear power plants (Shea 1988). Then there is Brazil, which is currently in the process of completing the gigantic Itaipu Dam with a generating capacity of 12,600 MW. In China, the idea of constructing a major dam on the mighty Yangtze (Changjiang) River (figure 1) dates back to the early part of this century when Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Chinese Republic, first suggested the feasibility of this project. Present plans under consideration in the People's Republic of China call for the construction of a megadam 1,924 m long (table 1), the creation of a gorge-type reservoir that will extend some 600 km upstream from the dam (Tao, this volume), and installation of twenty-six 500 MW turbines. When completed, the Three Gorges Dam with a proposed generating capacity of 13,000 MW will be the largest in the world.
