China's First Large Hydropower Project on Yangtze River Celebrates 40th Anniversary

The project has the largest lower water head, discharge volume and run-of-river hydropower station in the world.

The first large water control project over the Yangtze River, the Gezhouba project was designed to meet industrial and agricultural power demands in Central and East China and help improve navigation conditions on the river. It was also expected to provide experience for construction of the Three Gorges project.

The construction of the Gezhouba project broke ground on Dec 30, 1970.

Builders shoulder materials for construction of the cofferdam in 1972. [Photo by Peng Xiongcai]

The construction site when the two sections of the Gezhouba Dam joined together on Jan 4, 1981 [Photo by Yao Nongzheng]

A view of the Gezhouba Dam under construction in 1981 [Photo re-shot by Xiao Jiafa]

The photo shows a plant of the Gezhouba project in construction. [Photo by Yao Nongzheng]

The first hydropower generator unit starts operation on July 30, 1981. [Photo by Yao Nongzheng]

A new warehousing technology based on a concrete belt conveyor is adopted at the Gezhouba project in 1984, which improves construction efficiency. [Photo provided by Gezhouba Power Plant]

A worker at the Gezhouba project releases the first Chinese sturgeon fry incubated artificially into the Yangtze River in November 1984. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]