Construction on the world’s most expensive infastructure project has been approved by China, set to cost £109 billion, despite concerns over its wider impact.
The colossal hydropower project set for Tibet’s longest river could generate three times more energy than the Three Gorges Dam, currently the world’s largest hydropower plant.
Total investment in the dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River could exceed 1 trillion yuan (£109bn), more expensive than any single infrastructure project in the world.
Chinese state media described it as “a safe project that prioritises ecological protection”, which will boost local prosperity and contribute to Beijing’s climate goals.
However, human rights groups and experts raised concerns about the ecological, environmental and cultural consequences, including displacement of communities.
The development brings a host of unprecedented challenges, being located along an earthquake-prone tectonic plate boundary.
Chinese researchers flagged concerns that the extensive excavation and construction required in the steep gorge may increase the frequency of landslides.
The major development may require at least four 20km-long tunnels to be drilled through the Namcha Barwa mountain, which would divert the flow of the river, according to reports.
Chinese authorities have stressed the project would not have major environmental impact.
The Three Gorges hydropower dam required 1.4 million people to be moved, and there are concerns that Tibetan communities could be displaced.
When Tibetans protested against a different Gangtuo dam and hydropower plant earlier this year, which would displace several villages and submerge ancient monasteries, it resulted in arrests by Chinese government, leaving some seriously injured, according to the BBC.
However, Bejing said it had relocated and compensated locals, and moved the anicent murals to safety.
There were fears about the impact on the downstream countries of India and Bangladesh, as experts flagged concerns that the dam would empower China to control or divert the flow of the river.
The river originates in the glaciers of western Tibet before falling a staggering 7,667 metres (25,154 feet) and flowing into India and Bangladesh, where it is called the Brahmaputra and the Jamuna rivers, respectively.
A 2020 report published by the Lowy Institute, an Australian-based think tank, noted that “control over these rivers [in the Tibetan Plateau] effectively gives China a chokehold on India’s economy”.
China’s foreign ministry said in 2020 that China has a “legitimate right” to dam the river and has considered downstream impacts.
