Three Gorges Dam operator defends 'sacred mission'

The operator of China's Three Gorges Dam has defended the controversial project, saying it has a 'sacred mission' to control flooding, generate clean energy and ensure water supply.

Just one month ago, the government said the world's largest hydroelectric dam had caused a host of ills that must be 'urgently' addressed - a rare admission of problems in the project it has long praised as a world wonder.

'Managing and operating well the Three Gorges Dam is the sacred mission entrusted to the Three Gorges Corporation by the country,' the company said in a social responsibility report published over the weekend.

'All along we have prioritised social benefits' and 'given full play to the benefits of flood control, electricity generation, navigation, downstream water supply and ecology,' it said.