China’s upcoming hydropower dam in Tibet a likely trouble for India
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Beijing: China is all set to build the world’s largest hydropower dam on the eastern side of the Tibetan plateau, probably giving troubles to millions living downstream in India and Bangladesh, according to news agency Reuters.
The ambitious project coming up on the Yarlung Zangbo River, according to an estimate by the Power Construction Corp of China, is aimed at producing 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
The new dam is touted to be capable of producing more than triple the 88.2 billion kWh designed capacity of currently the world’s largest, the Three Gorges Dam existing in Central China.
It is reported citing the official Xinhua news agency that the project will meet China’s carbon neutrality goals while help boosting allied industries like engineering, thus creating jobs in Tibet.
The Yarlung Zangbo falls staggering 2,000 metres (6,561 feet) within 50 km (31 miles), offering immense potential for hydropower. However, the river’s precipitous fall may give great engineering challenges as well.
The dam will outshine the Three Gorges dam’s engineering costs of 254.2 billion yuan($34.83 billion), which included resettling the 1.4 million people.
Chinese authorities have not given any indication of about how many people the project is likely displace and how it would eventually affect the area’s diverse ecosystem.
Meanwhile, Chinese officials reportedly said that the project, which can have a third of China's hydroelectric power potential, will not cause major impact on the environment and downstream water supplies. However, India and Bangladesh already raised concerns about the project.
As it leaves Tibet, the Yarlung Zangbo becomes the Brahmaputra River in India flowing through Arunchal Pradesh and Assam before entering Bangladesh.
Alongside starting power generation on the upper reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo, China has plans for more projects upstream.