BEIJING, May 8 (AP) -- Construction of the main wall of central China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's biggest hydroelectric project, is due to be completed this month, some nine months ahead of schedule, a news report said Monday.

The 2,309-meter-long (7,620-foot-long) wall is the main section of the US$22 billion (€17 billion) project in the Xiling Gorge on the Yangtze River.

Less than 3,000 cubic meters (100,000 cubic feet) of concrete remains to be poured for the dam wall, said Cao Guangjing, deputy general manager of the government company building the dam, quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency.

The project was launched in 1993. Construction went ahead despite complaints about the project's high cost and the need to relocate some 1.3 million people.

Installation of the dam's 26 generator turbines and other equipment is due to be completed by 2009.

Plans call for the dam to generate 84.7 billion kilowatt hours of power annually, according to Xinhua.