All 32 Three Gorges Dam generators operating

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A technician supervises a generator of Three Gorges Dam in Yichang, Central China's Hubei province, July 2, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

YICHANG - All 32 generators of China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower project, went into production on Monday evening as flood season arrived.

It is the first time all 32 generators - including the last turbine , which passed a trial operation in May - started up at the same time, said Zhang Chengping, head of the machinery and electronic engineering bureau of the China Three Gorges Corporation.

The outbound flow rose to 34,000 cubic meters per second on Monday evening due to floodwater from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and was sufficient for the operation of the 32 generators, which has a full load of 700,000 kw each, he said.

The 32 generators of the 180-billion-yuan Three Gorges project, which was launched in 1993, have a combined generating capacity of 22.4 million kw.