The Three Gorges power plant and the downstream Gezhouba power plant on China's Yangtze River plan to generate 78.6 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity in 2007, up 23 percent on the previous year.

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The raised water level in the Three Gorges Reservoir and new generators that will come into operation this year will ensure fulfillment of the target, said Cao Guangjing, deputy general manager of China Three Gorges Project Corporation, which manages the two power plants.

The water level in the Three Gorges Reservoir rose to the 156-meter mark on October 27 last year and is expected to reach 175 meters in 2008.

Three to four gigantic turbo-generators each with an installed capacity of 700,000 kmh will go into operation this year. Currently, 14 such generators are operating at full capacity.

Fifteen provinces in central, eastern and southern China use electricity produced by the two power plants,which are both based in Yichang of central China's Hubei province and are 38 kilometers apart.

Launched in 1993 and built at an estimated cost of 180 billion yuan (about 23 billion U.S. dollars), the Three Gorges Project 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.

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