China operates a huge hydroelectric dam, higher than the Three Gorges Dam

The O Dong Duc hydroelectric dam project (or Vo Dang dam) has started to generate test electricity, with a dam height of 270m compared to the height of 181m of the Tam Hiep Dam.

The Vo Dang hydroelectric dam project has been officially in operation since June 29. (Screenshot of CGTN).

According to Reuters on June 30, China has just started operating the O Dong Duc hydroelectric dam, which is one of a series of huge dams with a large investment on the Yangtze River upstream and much higher than the Three Gorges Dam.

Chinese media reported that O Dong Duc Dam is the fourth largest hydroelectric dam in the country and the 7th largest in the world, starting its first part operation on June 29 after 72 hours of test run.

Wudang Hydroelectric Dam with a height of 272m. (Photo: Reuters)

The Three Gorges Project Group in charge of the project says the O Dong Duc Dam was started in late 2015 and is expected to be completed in 2021.

The project has a capacity of more than 10 GW, with the dam reaching a height of 270m, much higher than the 181-meter Tam Hiep dam, which is located 950 km away. At O Dong Duc dam, about 32,000 people have been displaced in the area of ​​a hydroelectric lake with a capacity of 7.4 billion m3 of water.

A tunnel inside the Wudang Dam. (Screenshot of CTGN)

Xinhua reported that the O Dong Duc hydroelectric dam project has a total investment of 120 billion yuan (395,261 billion dong). The project is located in a series of 6 huge hydroelectric dams in the middle and upstream of the Yangtze of the Tam Hiep Project Group.

Environmentalists say these dam projects cause irreversible damage in areas that are vulnerable to environmental factors. However, the government considers the adverse effects to be negligible compared to the benefits from energy supply as well as flood regulation.