China began construction on Monday of a major waterway project that includes what is expected to become the world's largest inland ship lock, to meet rising shipping demand on the Yangtze River.
The project has a total investment of 77.2 billion yuan, about 11.3 billion U.S. dollars. It will add a five-tier, dual-track ship lock north of the existing lock at the Three Gorges Dam and upgrade navigation facilities at a smaller downstream dam. Once completed, the annual throughput capacity at the Three Gorges will almost double to 336 million tonnes. The commencement ceremony was held in Yichang, Hubei Province, and was launched by Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. The new ship lock and approach channels stretch about 6,680 meters and are expected to take over nine years to build. The design emphasizes ecological protection with dedicated fish passages and was revised to avoid affecting Chinese sturgeon spawning grounds, adding 2 billion yuan to the cost. This is the first major project to break ground during China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). Economists said the project will ease supply chain bottlenecks and cut trade costs.