 "This photo taken on July 19, 2020 shows water being released from China's Three Gorges Dam, a gigantic hydropower project on the Yangtze river. File Photo/AFP")
China has green-lit a mega hydropower project on Tibet’s longest river. Touted as the world’s largest hydropower dam, it would be built in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, which becomes the Brahmaputra River when it flows into the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.
India has earlier expressed concerns about the project which could affect millions downstream in the country and its neighbour Bangladesh.
Let’s take a closer look.
China’s mega hydropower project
China’s hydropower dam will come up on the Yarlung Zangbo River, also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo River, in the Tibet autonomous region.
According to China’s state news agency Xinhua, the dam will produce three times more energy than the Three Gorges Dam, which generates 88.2 billion kWh of electricity annually.
The proposed dam could produce 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year, Reuters reported citing the estimate of Power Construction Corp of China in 2020.
As per a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report, the hydropower project could cost over 1 trillion yuan (US$137 billion), higher than any single infrastructure project worldwide.
In comparison, the investment in the Three Gorges Dam was 254.2 billion yuan ($34.83 billion).
It is not yet known when the construction will start and even the exact location of the dam.
Challenges of the project
China ’s huge hydropower project comes with its own technical and engineering challenges.
A part of the Yarlung Zangbo falls 2,000 metres (6,561 feet) within a short span of 50 km, giving a major hydropower potential, Reuters reported.
To tap into this potential, nearly six 20 km-long tunnels will have to be carved out from the Namcha Barwa mountain to divert half of the river’s flow at about 2,000 cubic metres per second, as per the SCMP report.
The project site is also located along a tectonic plate boundary which is susceptible to earthquakes.
Authorities have also not revealed how many people will be displaced by the Tibet project.
Why China’s hydropower dam is important
As per Xinhua, the colossal hydropower project in Tibet would protect the local ecology.
“Through extensive geological explorations and technical advancements, a solid foundation has been laid for the science-based, secure and high-quality development of the project,” the report said.
The project would also fuel the growth of nearby solar and wind energy resources, according to the news agency. “This represents a major move in China’s green and low-carbon energy transition,” the report said.
“It is also of great importance to advancing the country’s strategy for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality and to coping with global climate change.”
India’s concerns about the project
China’s super hydropower dam has raised alarm bells in India.
New Delhi’s concern stems from Beijing’s lack of transparency about the project. It fears the Tibet dam could trigger flash floods or lead to water scarcity downstream.
India worries the project could result in the country depending on China for its water supplies, Genevieve Donnellon-May, a geopolitical and global strategy adviser, wrote for AsiaGlobal Online in 2022.
The Yarlung Tsangpo flows across the Tibetan Plateau and then enters India through Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, where it is called the Brahmaputra Rive r.
As she noted in her article, the Brahmaputra is important for India and China’s socioeconomic development. “The river accounts for nearly 30 per cent of India’s freshwater resources and 40 per cent of its total hydropower potential. For China, the Brahmaputra’s role in the country’s total freshwater supply is limited, but the river plays a significant role in Tibet’s agricultural and energy industries as well as civilisation. Yet, growing populations mean water resources are under increasing stress and demand in both countries,” Donnellon-May wrote in her piece.
China being the upper riparian could affect the quantity of water available downstream, increasing New Delhi’s worries.
“India has long speculated about China’s intention of using hydropower dams to control the Brahmaputra. Many Indian analysts argue that China’s water ambitions and the growing competition over water between China and India will inevitably lead to “water waters” between the two nations,” Donnellon-May wrote in her piece.
To dent the impact of China’s proposed dam on water flows, India is also planning to build 12 hydropower stations in Arunachal Pradesh, as per a Reuters report in July. The move has irked China, which claims the Indian state as the “southern part of Tibet”.
With inputs from agencies