China Completes Dam Across Yangtze River

This Xinhua file photo taken in December 2004 shows the aerial view of the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province. The axis of the dam is 2,309 meters, the longest in the world. The construction crews expect to finish pouring concrete for the massive Three Gorges Dam on Saturday, completing what China calls the world's largest concrete structure, state media reported Friday, May 19, 2006. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Du Huaju) (Du Huaju - AP)

BEIJING -- China finished building the Three Gorges dam across the Yangtze River on Saturday, a key milestone for the world's largest hydroelectric project.

The 1.4-mile-long dam was designed to stop deadly floods that regularly ravage China's farming heartland, and eventually produce 22.4 million kilowatts of electricity _ enough to light up Shanghai on a peak day with power to spare.

But general manager Li Yongan cautioned, "We still face arduous construction tasks."

The project's power-generation facilities will not be finished until 2008 _ a year ahead of schedule, according to official estimates.

More than 1.13 million people have been relocated to make way for the dam and its reservoir, according to an official estimate.

Begun in 1993, the project steamed ahead with the backing of the communist leadership despite objections to its $22 billion cost and environmental and social impact, including the inundation of historical relics.

The dam will start protecting people from floods right away, Li said.

"Even if there is a major flood this summer, the Three Gorges Project is capable of regulating flooded waters in an effective way and preventing 15 million people on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and their property from suffering damages," the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Li as saying.

Environmentalists and engineers have warned that the reservoir risks becoming polluted with waste from cities and towns upriver, many of which lack adequate sewage treatment.

Staccato from paper firecrackers, a burst of confetti and a brief speech marked the completion of the 607-foot high dam.

Plans for a more elaborate celebration were canceled, Xinhua reported, without giving a reason. Elaborate state celebrations have been rolled back amid a growing disparity between the urban rich and rural poor.