Taming the yangtze

The Three Gorges Project (TGP) in China is now the largest capacity hydroelectric plant in the world. It has an installed capacity of 18,200 MW, with each generator rated at 700 MW. The second largest is Brazil's 12,600 MW Itaipu plant. There are also plans to install six more turbines in an underground power house by 2012, giving it a capacity of 22,500 MW. The energy from the TGP will be a great boon to Chinese industry and domestic consumers, but the biggest benefit will be the lives saved by flood control.