Eco-watchdog warns Three Gorges

China's environmental watchdog, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), is threatening to take the operators of the Three Gorges Dam to court unless they heed an order to stop construction at three new projects, state media reported. The state-owned Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corp. could face fines and legal penalties if the legal action goes ahead. In mid-January, SEPA ordered construction at 30 major infrastructure projects around China to be suspended because they had flouted a law requiring environmental impact assessments before work began. Most of the projects were in the power generation sector. According to the Beijing News, eight projects including Three Gorges Corp's Xiluodu station on the upper Yangtze River, the underground power station at the Three Gorges Dam and the Three Gorges project power supply station, have not followed the order.