China: Three Gorges Dam EIA by Sabrina Wodka, Ines Pastor and Sofia Morett

Introduction  Located in the Yangtze River in the town of Soundouping, in the Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province in China.  It is hydroelectric and it is the world’s largest power station in terms of installed capacity (which is 22,500 MV).  Annual energy output of 84.7 billion kilowatt hours  Dimensions: 185 meters above the sea level, 2,300 meters long, 115 meters wide  It is also the world’s largest operating hydroelectric facility in terms of annual energy generation (for example 98.8 TWh in 2014).  It is also intended to increase the river’s shipping capacity  The project was completed in 2009, 17 years to build it

Background Information  The government had four goals for the construction of the hydroelectric station  Flood control: the Yangtze River produced several floods, killing thousands of people. The dam will be constructed to reduce the impacts of flooding since it will have a flood control of billion centimeters cubic  Power generation: it will reduce the dependency of coal (a hydrocarbon that produces greenhouse gases) and it will produce an Annual energy output of 84.7 billion kilowatt hours.  Navigation: large ships will be able to travel for the first time up and downstream and ships from Chongquing will be able to transport goods to Shanghai  Tourism: it is expected to be popular among visitors since it is the largest hydroelectric station in the world

Three Gorges Dam

EIA Matrix Grid Key project activities: building a damKey components Final score EnvironmentalSocialEconomic Decrease in biodiversity-4(6)-2(3)-3(4)-42 Produces Clean Water5(6)5(4)3(6)68 Trap sediments-3(4)-12 Cause drought4(5)-3(4)8 Flooding-4(6)-3(5)-4(5)-59 Gives off money4(3)3(3)21 Artificial habitat- 3(4)3(5)3 Creating jobs4(6)4(5)

Scores and Justifications Technique is subjective. In reality people collect data to fill out the matrix. The dam providing clean water is the most beneficial overall while in contrast the dam which may create floods, will cause the most damage. One example is how the dam allows hydroelectric energy. Water at the beginning of the dam generates energy in a clean matter, if the dam did not exist then fossil fuels would be burned and effect the environment.

THE END