Power's On, Final Segment's Under Way as Three Gorges Forges Forward
Like a gigantic boulder that has been tumbling down a steep slope for a decade, the largest engineering and construction project on the planet is gaining momentum as it heads into its final phase. Chinas massive, multipurpose Three Gorges Dam project is proceeding so smoothly that even long-term opponents concede that the dams progress will not be derailed. The owner apparently has resolved problems from earlier stages, including a fatal tower crane collapse and concrete cracks (ENR 06/07 p. 15). Current criticism focuses on social issues, such as relocation and environmental water quality.
"Weve pretty much accepted that it wont be stopped now. Theyre just too far along," says Patrick McCully, campaigns director with the International Rivers Network in Berkeley, Calif. While acknowledging that the owners technical competence will get the structure built, McCully says "it may be decades" before the world knows whether the dam can control flooding and avoid siltation, the bane of other large global hydro projects.