It is affiliated with the Province of Hubei and sponsored by the provincial government.

The university was established in 2000 by the merger of Wuhan Hydraulic and Electric Power University Yichang (武汉水利电力大学宜昌) and Hubei Sanxia College (湖北三峡学院).

The campus occupies 200 hectares, and the total building area comprises 830,000 m2 (8,934,046 sq ft).

Since 2012, CTGU has recruited over 24,000 full-time undergraduates, 2,336 postgraduate and 1,048 foreign students.

It institutes a group of key subjects (key laboratories) at the provincial and state level, and doctoral and master programs.