China, which already boasts the world’s largest hydroelectric project, is preparing to up the ante. The Chinese government recently approved the construction of what would be the new world’s largest hydroelectric dam at the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the Tibet autonomous region.
If constructed, the dam would generate up to three times more energy than the current heavyweight champion Three Gorges Dam, BBC reports. The government has already set aside one trillion yuan (US$137 billion) for the project.
Yarlung Tsangpo River, considered a sacred body of water, flows through the Tibet autonomous region of China and Arunachal Pradesh of India. It is the longest river in Tibet and the fifth-longest in China. The river also features the deepest canyon on Earth with a drop of 25,154 feet. Thus, China says, the project could generate 300 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) annually. Authorities have previously said that the river’s lower reaches have a vertical drop of over 31 miles, which alone could provide up to 70 million kilowatts, Interesting Engineering reports.
Chinese officials said the project would require drilling tunnels between 2.5 miles and 12.5 miles long in the Namcha Barwa mountain in order to divert half of the river’s flow around 2,000 cubic meters per second, Interesting Engineering reports.
Officials have not yet announced when construction would start, or the exact location of the project.
Concerns around displacement, environmental impacts
The project will be located on the boundary of a tectonic plate, which poses the risk of earthquakes. Chinese researchers have previously warned that the excavation and construction required for the project could result in increased landslides in the area, BBC reports.
BBC News says the announcement has stoked concerns about the displacement of communities in Tibet, as well as the potential environmental impacts downstream in India and Bangladesh.
Earlier in 2024, the Chinese government rounded up hundreds of Tibetans who had been protesting against another hydropower dam. It ended in arrests and beatings, with some people seriously injured, the BBC learned through sources and verified footage.
India’s concerns are centered around China’s potential control over the flow of the river, which flows into India, BBC reports. After China announced plans for the project in 2020, Reuters reported that India was considering developing its own hydropower project “to mitigate the adverse impact of the Chinese dam projects.”
China has a questionable record when it comes to building and maintaining giant dams. In August 1975, the Banqiao Dam and 61 others throughout Henan, China collapsed following the landfall of Typhoon Nina. The dam collapse created the third-deadliest flood in history, with estimates of the death toll ranging from 26,000 to 240,000. The flood also caused the collapse of 5 million to 6.8 million houses.
And, while the Three Gorges Dam was an engineering feat, Brittanica.com says it has also been fraught with controversy. Construction of the dam caused the displacement of at least 1.3 million people and the destruction of natural features and countless rare architectural and archaeological sites.
Human rights groups and experts have raised concerns about the development’s knock-on effects. China has built several dams in Tibetan areas — a contentious subject in a region tightly controlled by Beijing ever since it was annexed in the 1950s.
