Three Gorges Dam reaches full height

A small ceremony was held Saturday to mark the end of the largest phase of construction on China's controversial Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydro-electricity project.

Workers poured the last batch of concrete to complete the 2,309-metre-long, 185-metre-high main wall of the dam on the Yangtze River.

Builders set off firecrackers and waved flags as a brass band played and confetti fluttered over the site in central Hubei province.

Although the dam has reached itsfinal height, it will not be fully operational until 2009. Future tasks include installing generator turbines and building a ship lift.

Massive power output

Authorities say the dam, with an official pricetag of $25 billion US, will prevent flooding along the Yangtze River and provide 85 billion kilowatt hours of electricity a year - one-ninth of China's power.

As the world's second-largest consumer of oil, China says it needs alternative energy sources to combat power shortages and maintain its booming economy.

But the project has been roundly criticized for its environmental impact and its effect on surrounding communities.

More than a million people have been moved to make way for the dam's reservoir, which critics say is already polluted.