Three Gorges Dam Development and Reform Commission of China, 366 grams of coal would produce 1 kWh of electricity during 2006. At full power, Three Gorges reduces coal consumption by 31 million tonnes per year, avoiding 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, millions of tonnes of dust, one million tonnes of sulfur dioxide, 370,000 tonnes of nitric oxide, 10,000 tonnes of carbon monoxide, and a significant amount of mercury. Hydropower saves the energy needed to mine, wash, and transport the coal from northern China. From 2003 to 2007, power production equaled that of 84 million tonnes of standard coal, reducing carbon dioxide
Panjiakou Dam seen on a small island off the reservoir's edge at , particularly during droughts when the reservoir holds less water. The scenery around the reservoir is a popular tourist destination and with the surrounding terrain, it is often called "Qianxi Little Three Gorges". The Panjiakou Dam is a tall and concrete gravity dam. The dam's reservoir has a capacity of and surface area of . Of the reservoir's capacity, is active (or "useful") for power generation and water supply. The dam sits at the head of a catchment area which constitutes 75 percent of the Luan River basin. The dam's