China has given the green light to construct the world’s most costly hydropower dam, but experts are voicing concerns about potential environmental impacts and effects on local communities.
This project, which was initially announced in 2020, is projected to cost in excess of $137 billion. It is anticipated to produce energy on a scale three times that of the world’s largest hydropower plant, the Three Gorges Dam.
The Three Gorges Dam, located on the Yangtze River, is known to generate 0.54 TWh of electricity daily. Reports indicate it can also accommodate inflows of approximately 98.8 million liters per second.
Chinese state media has referred to the upcoming project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in China as a ‘safe project prioritizing ecological protection’, according to the BBC.
Despite its enormous cost of $137 billion, it is claimed that the project will ‘boost local prosperity’ and aid Beijing in achieving its ‘climate neutrality goals’.
The dam is planned to be situated in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, with the development potentially necessitating at least four 20 km-long tunnels to be bored through the Namcha Barwa mountain.
This could lead to the diversion of the Tibetan river’s flow, according to reports.
Human rights organizations and other experts have expressed worries about the potential ecological, environmental, and cultural impacts of constructing this dam in the Tibetan region.
This includes the possible displacement of local residents, although it remains unclear how many people might need to be relocated due to the project.
Additionally, the community may face disruptions as the dam will be constructed along a tectonic plate boundary known for seismic activity, as reported by the Daily Star.
Chinese researchers have raised concerns that drilling into the Namcha Barwa mountain and continued construction might increase landslide occurrences.
In 2022, a senior engineer from the Sichuan Provincial Geological Bureau stated: “Earthquake-induced landslides and mud-rock flows are often uncontrollable and will also pose a huge threat to the project.”
Authorities, however, claim that the project will not have significant environmental repercussions.
Earlier this year, Tibetans protested against another Gangtuo dam and hydropower plant that would displace multiple villages and flood historic monasteries, as reported by the BBC.
The protests led to arrests by the Chinese government, with reports of serious injuries to some individuals.
Meanwhile, Beijing authorities stated they had relocated affected locals and safeguarded ancient murals.
Experts are also concerned that the dam could allow China to ‘control or divert the flow’ of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which spans 1,125 km.
A 2020 report by the Lowy Institute indicated that ‘control over these rivers [in the Tibetan Plateau] effectively gives China a chokehold on India’s economy’.
In that same year, China’s foreign ministry asserted that the nation has a ‘legitimate right’ to dam the river and has considered the downstream effects on countries like India and Bangladesh.
If the dam construction proceeds, it will become the largest and most expensive hydropower dam globally.