Tibet's 'Three Gorges Dam' starts generating electricity

Pondo Water Control Project, the largest water control project in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, started generating electricity on Tuesday.

Its first generating unit, with an annual electricity generation capacity of 150 million kilowatt hours, was put into operation at 11:50 a.m. Tuesday, said Tang Quanyong, deputy head of the project administration bureau.

The other three generating units are expected to start operations in June 2014, said Tang.

The four generating units will be able to generate a total of 599 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually upon completion, which will relieve the tight power supply in the regional capital of Lhasa, he said.

The project will also improve Lhasa's irrigation and flood prevention capabilities, he said.

Dubbed "Tibet's Three Gorges Dam," the massive project's construction started in July 2009 with an investment of 4.57 billion yuan (748 million U.S. dollars). It is expected to be completed in 2016.

The project is located in Pondo Township of Lhunzhub County and sits more than 4,000 meters above sea level. The project is about 63 kilometers away from Lhasa.