The eighth hydroelectric power generator started operation Friday morning at China's Three Gorges Power Project on the Yangtze River, after a successful 72-hour test run and routine checks.

Presently there are eight power generators in operation at the Three Gorges project, each with a generating capacity of 700,000 kilowatts that can generate 115 million kwh of electricity a day, according to Zhang Cheng, director of the Three Gorges Hydropower Plant.

By April 29, the hydropower plant had generated 17.8 billion kwh of electricity, he acknowledged.

Zhang went on to say that the installation and trial operation of the eighth generator took only 59 days, the shortest time range compared with the previous seven, the first of which became operational on July 10, 2003.

Another two generators are expected to be installed in July and September, and the plant is likely to generate 34.6 billion kwh of electricity this year, he added.

The project will help ease power shortage across the country, especially in the central and eastern regions.

Launched in 1993 and set to be completed in 2009, the gigantic Three Gorges project will be installed with 26 generators, which are expected to generate an average 84.7 billion kwh of electricity a year.

(Xinhua News Agency May 1, 2004)