China has approved the construction of the world’s largest hydropower dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet. This massive project will generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This dam will far surpass the output of the Three Gorges Dam. The dam’s location in the river’s lower reaches, where it drops 2,000 meters over just 50 kilometers. This presents both immense power generation potential and significant engineering challenges for China as well.
The project will play a major role in meeting China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. This will help in stimulating related industries such as engineering. It will also create jobs in Tibet, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. This megha dam can generate three times more energy than the three georges.
A section of the Yarlung Zangbo falls a dramatic 2,000 metres (6,561 feet) within a short span of 50 km (31 miles), offering huge hydropower potential as well as unique engineering challenges.
The outlay for building the dam, including engineering costs, is also expected to eclipse the Three Gorges dam. This will cost around 254.2 billion yuan($34.83 billion). Whereas it was seen that constructing Three Gorges required the resettling of 1.4 million people. Resettling of the 1.4 million people displaced four times the initial estimate of 57 billion yuan. Though authorities have not indicated how many people the Tibet project would displace. How it would affect the local ecosystem, in one of the richest and most diverse on the plateau.
But according to Chinese officials, hydropower projects in Tibet, which they say hold more than a third of China’s hydroelectric power potential. This would not have a major impact on the environment or on downstream water supplies.
Read More: Karachi: Cold Weather Causes Severe Gas Shortage Forces Locals To Purchase Expensive LPG
India and Bangladesh have nevertheless raised concerns about the dam, with the project potentially altering not only the local ecology but also the flow and course of the river downstream. The Yarlung Zangbo becomes the Brahmaputra River as it leaves Tibet and flows south into India’s Arunachal Pradesh and Assam states and finally into Bangladesh.
China has already commenced hydropower generation on the upper reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo. It flows from the west to the east of Tibet. It is planning more projects upstream. Parts of China’s strategy to meet its carbon goals, this dam will eventually boost industries in Tibet.
However environmental and geopolitical concerns are rising, especially in India and Bangladesh. The Yarlung Zangbo, which becomes the Brahmaputra River as it flows through India and Bangladesh, supports millions of people. Any disruption to the river’s flow could harm local ecosystems and livelihoods. China’s ongoing hydropower projects in the region have already sparked alarm. This new dam is likely to escalate these concerns. Additionally, the potential displacement of local Tibetan communities remains a major issue.
