China set to build world's largest dam in Tibet
Beijing estimated to spend some $137B on massive hydropower project
ISTANBUL
China will construct the world’s largest hydropower dam in the southern Tibet region, state media reported.
The government on Wednesday granted approval to the dam on Yarlung Tsangpo River, the longest in the region, locally known as the Xizang autonomous region.
The dam is projected to generate nearly 300 billion kWh annually, surpassing the Three Gorges Dam.
"It is also of great importance for advancing the country's strategy for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality and coping with global climate change," Beijing-based Xinhua News reported.
When completed, the project is expected to generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy annually, which would be three times more than the world’s largest dam, Three Gorges, also in China, with a capacity of 88.2 billion kWh.
Beijing is expected to spend over 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) on the new dam, making it the largest single infrastructure project in the world by far.
After originating in Tibet, the Yarlung Tsangpo River flows eastward into India and Bangladesh, where it is known as Brahmaputra.
