Power play in the Himalayas : Will China’s ambitious dam in Tibet put India in a spot?

The total cost of the dam could go beyond 1 trillion yuan (about $137 billion), making it the most expensive infrastructure project ever built in the world.

China has given the green light for a massive hydropower project on Tibet’s longest river, as reported by the state news agency, Xinhua, on Wednesday (December 25). This new project is expected to produce three times more electricity than the Three Gorges Dam.

World’s Largest Dam: Power Revolution

The project is expected to produce about 300 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity every year. That is enough energy to supply more than 300 million people with electricity for a whole year. In comparison, the Three Gorges Dam, currently the largest in the world, was built to generate 88.2 billion kWh annually.

The total cost of the dam could go beyond 1 trillion yuan (about $137 billion), making it the most expensive infrastructure project ever built in the world. In comparison, the Three Gorges Dam project cost 254.2 billion yuan (around $34.83 billion). The report did not say when construction would start or the exact location of the project.

The Yarlung Tsangpo river runs through the Tibetan Plateau, creating the world’s deepest canyon and dropping an incredible 7,667 metres (25,154 feet) before flowing into India, where it is called the Brahmaputra when it flows into Arunachal Pradesh.

Yarlung Tsangpo: The Next Energy Giant

In 2020, Yan Zhiyong, who was the chairman of the state-owned Power Construction Corporation of China at the time, said the Yarlung Tsangpo was one of the areas with the most potential for hydropower in the world, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The lower section of the river drops 2,000 metres over 50 kilometres (31 miles), providing around 70 million kilowatts of hydropower potential. That was enough to generate more than three times the capacity of the Three Gorges Dam, which produces 22.5 million kilowatts, he explained.

The massive hydropower project planned on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet, faces unique and significant engineering challenges. To tap into the river’s hydropower, four to six tunnels, each about 20 kilometres long, would need to be dug through the ‘Namcha Barwa mountain’ (located in Tibet). These tunnels would divert about half of the river’s flow, roughly 2,000 cubic metres of water per second.

Officials have not disclosed how many people might be displaced by the Tibet project.

Hydropower Amid Risks: Tibet’s Ambition

The project site is located near a tectonic plate boundary, where large sections of the Earth’s outer layer, called the crust, meet—an area prone to earthquakes. Additionally, the geology of the plateau is very different from that of the surrounding plains.

Green Energy Revolution: Tibet’s Hydropower

According to Xinhua, the hydropower project will focus on protecting the environment. It stated that thorough geological studies and advanced technology had created a strong base for safe, scientific and high-quality progress of the project. Xinhua also reported that the dam would help develop nearby solar and wind energies, boosting the region’s clean energy resources. The report said this was an important step in China’s shift toward green and low-carbon energy.

Shared Waters: Opportunity, or Rising Tensions?

In 2020, Beijing revealed its plans to build the dam, which raised worries in India. People are concerned about how it might affect India’s water supply and food production. Some fear that China could use the dam to control water flow, potentially causing floods or droughts on purpose.

A study in 2023 by scientists from Tsinghua University’s hydraulic engineering department suggested that the project could be helpful for China, India and Bangladesh if the three countries worked together. The researchers explained that the reservoir could help boost water flow during the dry season and make the river in India usable for water transport for an extra one to four months each year.

The study found that using the reservoir to control flood levels could significantly reduce the areas affected by floods. In India, it could lower flood-affected areas by up to 32.6% and, in Bangladesh, by up to 14.8%. Building a series of hydropower plants with reservoirs on the main part of the river could bring huge benefits. It would help produce more electricity, improve river transportation and support farming in the Yarlung Tsangpo-Brahmaputra river region.

Three Gorges Dam: Engineering Marvel

The Three Gorges Dam is not a group of three dams, but a single massive structure named after the Three Gorges region along the Yangtze river in China. This region is known for its three narrow and scenic gorges—deep, narrow valleys with steep sides, often carved by rivers over time—Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge. These are famous for their stunning and dramatic landscapes. The dam is located near this iconic area.

As the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, the Three Gorges Dam serves several important purposes. It generates a huge amount of electricity, helps control flooding in the region and improves river navigation. Inside the structure, a series of turbines work together to produce power, making it a vital project for energy and water management.