BEIJING -- The China Three Gorges Corporation has begun the construction of the Yangtze River protection project in Wuhan, the company said Saturday.

With a total investment of 7.59 billion yuan (about $1.1 billion), the project will provide about 8,000 jobs during the construction.

The project will help secure the fundamental improvement of Wuhan's water quality, according to the company.

The company will reinforce the investment in the Yangtze River protection in Hubei Province, and ensure that the accumulated investment tops 30 billion yuan in 2020, said Lei Mingshan, chairman of the company.