China has approved an ambitious plan to construct the world's largest hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in southern Tibet, according to state media reports.
The massive hydroelectric project is expected to generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which would be three times the output of China's Three Gorges Dam - currently the world's largest hydropower facility.
With an estimated cost exceeding 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion), this will be the most expensive infrastructure project globally. The dam is part of China's broader strategy to achieve its carbon neutrality goals and address climate change concerns.
The project site is located on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which flows downstream into India and Bangladesh, where it is known as the Brahmaputra River. This geographic location has raised questions about potential impacts on downstream water flows in neighboring countries.
Chinese officials maintain that hydropower development in Tibet, which represents over one-third of China's total hydroelectric potential, will not cause environmental damage. However, the scale of the project has drawn attention from environmental groups and neighboring nations.
The new dam represents a major expansion of China's hydropower capacity and reinforces the country's position as a global leader in renewable energy infrastructure. Construction timelines and specific technical details about the project have not yet been publicly released.
This development marks another milestone in China's pursuit of clean energy alternatives, though questions remain about the dam's long-term environmental and regional implications.