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China begins construction of world’s largest hydropower dam in Tibet
TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION, CHINA, JUL 21 – The $167 billion project will generate up to 70 gigawatts annually, powering 300 million people and supporting China’s carbon neutrality goals by 2060, amid regional water security concerns.
- On Saturday China started construction of the world’s largest hydropower dam, with Premier Li Qiang attending the groundbreaking in Nyingchi City.
- China’s ambition for renewable leadership in Asia underpinned the decision approved in December last year, reflecting its drive to meet 2060 carbon neutrality goals.
- Costing 1.2 trillion Yuan, the project will build five cascade hydropower stations, expected to generate 300 billion kWh annually—triple the output of Three Gorges Dam.
- Despite these fears, Wang Lei said there’s no downstream risk despite data delays, while Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu warned water weaponization could threaten millions.
- Without stronger cooperation, this project may shift river courses and heighten regional geopolitical tensions, as the Tibetan Plateau feeds rivers for over 1.3 billion people.
184 Articles
184 Articles
Construction on Tibetan Megadam Fuels Ecological and Social Concerns
After Beijing granted authorization in December, construction on what would be the world’s largest hydropower dam has now begun. The site is located along the Yarlung Tsangpo River in southeastern Tibet, and it has drawn criticism from Tibetan rights groups concerned about social and ecological impacts, and downstream countries concerned about the potential weaponization of water flows. Helen Davidson at The Guardian summarized the massive scale…
World's largest power project stirs anxieties
China has broken ground on what it says will be the world's largest hydropower project, a $170 billion feat capable of generating enough electricity each year to power Britain. The scheme dwarfs the mighty Three Gorges Dam, currently the world's largest, and Chinese construction and engineering stocks surged after Premier Li Qiang unveiled it on the weekend. For Beijing, the project promises clean power, jobs and a jolt of stimulus for a slowing…
The construction of the world's largest hydroelectric power plant could be a major boost to China's economy, where the nearly $170 billion dam system on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau is being referred to as the "project of the century."
China’s mega-dam gambit: The $167 billion bet that could reshape Asia
On Saturday, China announced the start of one of the world’s biggest infrastructure projects: a $167 billion mega-dam in Tibet that will, when completed, be the most powerful source of hydroelectricity in history.The Yarlung Tsangpo dam, located at a hairpin river bend where water plunges 6,500 feet through the Himalayas, will dwarf China’s existing Three Gorges Dam, currently the world’s largest, and will produce 60 gigawatts of electricity, te…
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