Beijing – China has approved the construction of what will be the world’s largest hydroelectric dam, starting a major project on the east bank of the Tibetan Plateau that could affect millions downstream in India and Bangladesh.
The dam, which will be located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, could generate 300 billion hours of electricity annually, according to an estimate provided by Power Construction Corp of China in 2020.
That would be more than three times the designed capacity of 88.2 kWh of the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest, in central China.
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The project will play a major role in meeting China’s goals of decarbonization and carbon neutrality, stimulate related industries such as engineering, and create jobs in Tibet, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.
The Yarlung Zangbo section falls 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) within a short distance of 50 km (31 miles), offering great hydropower potential and unique engineering challenges.
The cost to build the dam, including engineering costs, is expected to exceed the Three Gorges Dam, which cost 254.2 billion yuan ($34.83 billion). This included the resettlement of 1.4 million people that was displaced and was more than four times the original estimate of 57 billion yuan.
The authorities have not said how many people will be displaced by the project in Tibet and how it will affect the local ecosystem, which is very rich and diverse in the plain.
But according to Chinese officials, power projects in Tibet, which they say account for more than a third of China’s electricity, will not have a major impact on the environment or the water downstream.
India and Bangladesh have however expressed concerns about the dam, as the project may not only change the environment but also the flow of the river downstream.
The Yarlung Zangbo becomes the Brahmaputra river as it originates in Tibet and flows south through the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and finally into Bangladesh.
China has already started hydroelectricity in the highlands of the Yarlung Zangbo, which flows from west to east in Tibet. Organizes multiple projects at the top.
($1 = 7.2989 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Nicholas Yong)
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