Filenews 21 July 2025
Chinese Premier Li Chiang has announced the start of construction of the world's largest hydroelectric dam, which is located in the eastern part of the Tibetan plateau and is estimated to cost about $170 billion, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The project is part of China's effort to expand renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions. The dam is estimated to have an annual capacity of 300 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and is expected to help meet local electricity demand in Tibet and the rest of China.
The dam will consist of five hydroelectric power plants and will be located at the bottom of the Jarlung Zhangbo River and could affect millions of people in India and Bangladesh by reducing available water. The Yarlung Zhangbo River becomes the Brahmaputra River as it flows south from Tibet to the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in India and finally to Bangladesh. As Reuters notes, some NGOs, including the International Campaign for Tibet, say the dam will irreparably damage the Tibetan plateau and that millions of people will face serious disruptions in their lives.
Chinese authorities have not said how many people the Tibet project will displace and how it will affect the local ecosystem.
