Construction of the first power plant to generate electricity through the incineration of household waste got underway Wednesday in Chongqing city, in the heart of the Three Gorges Reservoir area.

Costing a total of 450 million yuan (US$54 million), the Tongxing plant will have a daily handling capacity of 1000 tons of garbage.

The construction of the plant constitutes part of a new campaign in Chongqing, China's largest municipality, aimed at protecting the city's environment as well as that of the Three Gorges dam area.

There are currently 13 garbage-processing plants under construction the Three Gorges area as part of an overall strategy to improve local environment.

With the use of advanced imported technologies from France and homemade equipment, the Tongxing Power Plant is expected to be completed and become operational in 2004.

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2002)