An aerial drone photo taken on July 1, 2025 shows ships passing through the dual-channel five-tier ship locks (L) and a ship lift (R) of the Three Gorges Dam in an orderly manner in Yichang City, central China's Hubei Province. The shipping throughput via the Three Gorges Dam has reached 83.08 million tonnes in the first half of 2025, rising 10.4 percent year on year, data from the Three Gorges Navigation Authority showed. The ship locks of the Three Gorges Dam have handled over 19,121 vessels in this period, letting through a cargo volume of 81.61 million tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 13.52 percent. [Photo by Zheng Jiayu/Xinhua]

Marking five years since its overall completion on Saturday, the Three Gorges project has solidified its role as a multi-functional backbone of China's Yangtze River management, delivering extensive benefits in flood control, power generation, water supply, and shipping.

Over the past five years, the project has intercepted more than 29 billion cubic meters of floodwater through coordinated operation with upstream reservoirs, substantially mitigating flood risks in the middle and lower reaches.

As a core clean energy base, the Three Gorges power plant has generated over 423 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, equivalent to saving 128 million tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 347 million tonnes.

The project has also secured water supply for downstream regions during dry seasons, replenishing 82.4 billion cubic meters of water to support industrial, domestic, and ecological needs.

Shipping efficiency has continued to rise, with the cargo volume passing through the locks exceeding 700 million tonnes in the past five years. Annual freight volume topped 150 million tonnes for three consecutive years, hitting a record 168 million tonnes in 2023. The ship lift, serving as a rapid transit corridor, has handled more than 1.7 million passengers and 15 million tonnes of cargo.

Since its construction began in 1994, the Three Gorges project has evolved into a comprehensive water-control system featuring a 2,309-meter-long and 185-meter-high dam, twin five-tier ship locks, and 34 turbo-generators with a total capacity of 22.5 million kilowatts.