Three Gorges Dam: 181 m High, 2.3 km Long & 22,500 MW | How China Built the World’s Mega Dam

How do engineers build a 181-meter-high concrete dam across one of Asia’s greatest rivers? On the Yangtze River in China, the Three Gorges Project transformed an enormous stretch of the river into one of the world's largest hydroelectric complexes. The main concrete gravity dam stretches approximately 2.31 km along its axis and reaches a maximum height of 181 meters. Behind it, the reservoir's normal water level is 175 meters, with a total storage capacity of approximately 39.3 billion cubic meters. But the dam itself is only one part of the engineering challenge. Construction preparation began in 1993, followed by years of excavation, river diversion, foundation treatment, massive concrete placement and construction of the powerhouse, navigation structures and flood-discharge facilities. The main construction program reached a major milestone in 2008, after about 16 years of work. Then came the turbines. The hydroelectric complex has a total installed capacity of 22,500 MW, consisting of 34 generating units across its main and underground power stations. Its long-term average annual generation is approximately 88.2 billion kWh. The navigation system is another engineering story. The project includes a double-line, five-step ship lock with a main structural section about 1,621 meters long, while the vertical ship lift can raise vessels by as much as 113 meters. In this documentary, we'll go inside the construction process: