According to data released by the Three Gorges Navigation Administration, China's Three Gorges Dam throughput on the Yangtze River reached a record high in the first half of 2014, amounting to 55.69M tones.

The throughput of the five-tier ship lock of the dam, the world's largest hydropower project, made an 11.35% increase year on year, said the administration.

Passenger throughput via the ship lock also grew by 54% y/y, hitting 191,400, according to the data.

It also showed that mining materials, ore and containers were the top three cargos through the dam. Niu Xinqiang, an expert from Changjiang Institute of Survey, Planning, Design and Research pointed out that the project has reached its planned throughput 19 years ahead of schedule, and its capacity has become saturated.