(english.cnhubei.com) 12 sets of generator units on the right bank of mammoth Three Gorges Dam is now under installation process and the first unit will be put into operation and begin to generate in May.

Unlike the 14 generators installed on the left bank of the dam, which were all produced by foreign companies, eight of the 12, worth a combined 4.54 billion Yuan (US$546 million), went to two leading Chinese machinery manufacturers, The Harbin Electric Machinery Co Ltd (HEC) and Dongfang Electric Machinery Co Ltd, each won four, according to the buyer - China Three Gorges Project Corp.

Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, including a 2,309-meter-long, 185-meter-high dam, is being built in three phases on the middle reaches of the Yangtze, China's longest river.

Besides its huge power generating capacity, the project is expected to tame flooding on the Yangtze, fuel industrial growth in the area and improve shipping.