The Three Gorges Dam is located on the Yangtze River in central China. It is the largest dam in the world and took over 16 years to construct from 1994 to 2011. The dam was built to generate renewable hydroelectric power, reducing China's carbon emissions and dependence on coal. While very costly and causing the relocation of 1.24 million people, it provides huge amounts of clean energy to meet China's growing demand.