China's largest hydropower project, the Three Gorges Project, is expected to start full operation three to four months ahead of schedule as workers speed up the installation of the 12 turbines on the right bank of the Gorges.

"No. 26 turbine has been completed and is undergoing a final pre-operation check," said Li Binzhi, an official with China Gezhouba (Group) Corporation's Three Gorges project. The installation of five other turbines is under way.

The company is responsible for installing the eight domestically-made turbines on the right bank. Workers will finish installing the eight in October next year, two or three months ahead of schedule, Li said.

The installation of the other four turbines by Sino-hydro Corporation's Fourth Project Bureau, is also under way, said Fang Xuan, an official with the bureau.

The installation of the four will be completed in May next year, three to four months ahead of schedule, Fang said.

Each turbine has a capacity of 700,000 kilowatts. The installation of turbines on the right bank began last June.

The 14 turbines on the left bank of the Gorges began operation in September 2005. By May, they had produced 160 billion kwhs of electricity for power-thirsty cities in central, eastern and southern China.

The US$22.5 billion project was launched in 1993 in the midsection of the Yangtze River, China's longest. Its 26 turbo-generators are designed to eventually produce 84.7 billion kwhs of electricity a year after its scheduled completion in 2008.

(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2007)