The massive Three Gorges Project, the world's largest hydropower plant, had generated 138.3 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity as of 9:00 AM Sunday, according to an official in charge of the project.

The electricity generated by the project is used in 15 provinces in central, eastern, southern and southwestern China, greatly easing power shortages in the regions, said the official with the China Three Gorges Project Corporation.

The project's first generating unit went into operation in 2003.

Currently, 14 gigantic Three Gorges Project turbo-generators are operating at full capacity.

Launched in 1993 and built at an estimated cost of 180 billion yuan (about 22.5 billion U.S. dollars), the Three Gorges Project on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest, will eventually have 26 generators with a combined generating capacity of 18.2 million kw and be able to generate 84.7 billion kwh of electricity annually.

The other 12 generating units are still under construction. The whole project is due to be completed in 2008, one year ahead of schedule.

(Xinhua News Agency October 30, 2006)