China Built the World's Largest Hydroelectric Power Station — Was It Worth It?

China built the world's largest hydroelectric power station — but was the Three Gorges Dam worth the cost? Stretching more than two kilometers across the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam is one of the most ambitious engineering projects ever constructed. With 22,500 megawatts of installed generating capacity, enormous ship locks, a remarkable ship lift, and a reservoir stretching hundreds of kilometers upstream, this megaproject changed the river forever. But the achievement came with extraordinary consequences. More than a million people were relocated. Entire communities and landscapes were transformed. Sediment movement, aquatic habitats, and reservoir shorelines changed. In this engineering documentary, we explore how the Three Gorges Dam was constructed, how its hydroelectric turbines generate electricity, how enormous ships navigate the dam, and the difficult tradeoffs behind the project. Then we grade the Three Gorges Dam in six categories: 🏗️ Originality ⚙️ Engineering 🔌 Functionality 🛡️ Safety & Stability 🌿 Environmental Impact 🏛️ Beauty & Design Each category receives a score out of 10, for a maximum of 60 points. Is the Three Gorges Dam an engineering masterpiece, or did its enormous benefits come at too high a cost? Watch until the final report card, then tell us whether you agree with the grade. Subscribe for more cinematic engineering documentaries where we examine the world's most extraordinary megaprojects and grade what actually got built. #ThreeGorgesDam #Engineering #Megaprojects