YICHANG - China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower project, has discharged over 1.4 billion cubic meters of water into the Yangtze River during the dry winter season as of ?Wednesday.

The state-owned Three Gorges Corp., the dam's developer and operator, said the move will ensure water supplies and marine traffic safety on the river during the dry winter and spring seasons, adding that water will be discharged until June, with the dam's water level decreasing by 30 meters.

Water was stored in the dam's reservoir in September and October 2011, with its water levels reaching a maximum depth of 175 meters as of the end of October, the company said.

The Three Gorges project is a multi-functional water control system, consisting of a 2,309-meter-long, 185-meter-high dam, a five-tier ship lock and 26 hydropower generators.

The construction of the 22.5-billion-dollar Three Gorges project began in 1993 and was finished in 2009. It started generating electricity in 2003.