China has approved a $137,000,000,000 project to build the most powerful hydro dam - but the move has left people concerned.
Human rights activists and environmentalists are worried construction of the world's biggest mega project could have some serious consequences - especially as it's being built on an 'earthquake zone'.
Plans for the dam were first drawn up in 2020, almost 15 years after the current biggest dam - the Three Gorges in central China - was built.
Situated on the Yangtze River, Three Gorges is reported to generate 0.54 Twh electricity a day and can handle inflows of around 98.8m litres per second.
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What is the new project?
The new dam will be located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River and could generate three times more electricity than that.
According to a 2020 estimate by Power Construction Corp of China, the new hydro dam could produce 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
Chinese state media says the project is a ‘safe project prioritising ecological protection, as per the BBC.
Despite its hefty financial cost, the dam will contribute to Beijing’s ‘climate neutrality goals’.
Why are experts so concerned?
There are a number of issues plaguing the expensive Yarlung Zangbo dam project.
The feat may require at least four 20 km-long tunnels to be drilled through the Namcha Barwa mountain, meaning the flow of the Tibetan river will be diverted.
For neighboring India - and Bangladesh, which the river also passes through - this could spell trouble, as interference with the water flow could trigger flash foods or even see the country face droughts.
Experts also feared that the dam would ‘empower China to control or divert the flow’ of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which measures 1,125km in length.
A 2020 report published by the Lowy Institute said that ‘control over these rivers [in the Tibetan Plateau] effectively gives China a chokehold on India's economy’.
The dam is also set to be located along a tectonic plate boundary prone to earthquakes. Researchers are worried drilling into the Namcha Barwa mountain and the continued construction of the dam may also increase the frequency of landslides.
Finally, the construction of the dam could displace locals, although it's not known how many people the project would be forced to relocate.
However, Chinese authorities have stressed that the project would not have a major environmental impact.
Should construction go ahead, the dam is set to take 35 years to complete - that's not until 2060.
Topics: China, Environment, Politics, Science, Technology, World News
Ellie Kemp