Three Gorges Dam's last generator passes trial

YICHANG, Hubei - The last turbine generator set of China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower project, passed a trial operation on Wednesday in Yichang, Central China's Hubei province.

The 72-hour grid-tied trial was a comprehensive test of the No 27 turbine generator with a full load of 700,000 kW before it goes into production, according to authorities with the Gezhouba Group Mechanical and Electrical Construction Co Ltd.

According to the test results, the China-made turbine generator ran steadily, with all major indicators matching or exceeding the standards.

It is one of six 700,000-kW turbine generators of the dam's underground power plant.

It is expected that the No 27 turbine generator will be put into operation as early as by the end of May. Then, all generators of the Three Gorges' power station will come into service.

The 180-billion-yuan ($28.52 billion) Three Gorges project, which was launched in 1993, will have 32 generators with a combined generating capacity of 22.4 million kW.