In 1993, the US Bureau of Reclamation withdrew financial and technical support for the project. Meanwhile, the World Bank, under pressure from environmentalists, decided not to loan the Chinese government money for the massive dam, which could cost up to $77 billion.
Despite national and international opposition to the mega-project and a decided lack of international investors, the Chinese government began work on the Three Gorges Dam in 1994 and completed the project 20 years later.