(TibetanReview.net, Jul20’25) – Chinese Premier Li Qiang has announced on Jul 19 the start of the construction of the world’s biggest hydropower dam over the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Metog county of Nyingchi (Tibetan: Nyingtri) prefecture, Tibet, close to the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, while taking part in a ground-breaking ceremony for the purpose. The “super dam” or “mega dam” project is seen as a serious potential danger to downstream India for a number of reasons, including geological, geostrategic, and environmental concerns.
The ground-breaking ceremony took place at the dam site of Nyingchi’s Mainling hydropower station. Representatives from various organizations, including the National Development and Reform Commission and the Power Construction Corporation of China, spoke at the ceremony. Members of an expert advisory committee for the construction of the hydropower project also attended the event, reported China’s official Xinhua news agency Jul 19.
The report said the project will consist of five cascade hydropower stations, with a total investment estimated at around 1.2 trillion yuan (about 167.8 billion US dollars).
Its primary purpose is to deliver electricity for external consumption, while also addressing local demand in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), the report said.
Li, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, was on an inspection tour of TAR over Jul 18-19.
He urged officials and other people in TAR to step up efforts to maintain stability, promote development, protect ecology, and boost development in border areas, reported Xinhua Jul 20.
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A new state-owned enterprise, the China Yajiang Group Co., Ltd, has been established to serve as the project owner. A ceremony was held recently in Beijing to inaugurate it for the smooth construction and operation of the hydropower project. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the inauguration ceremony, the report said.
Zhang emphasized that the company’s establishment is a major strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. It reflects a comprehensive approach to national and energy security under the new strategy, and the Party’s governance policy for TAR in the new era. The move is also a key step toward ensuring the smooth construction and operation of the Yarlung Zangbo hydropower project, reported China’s official globaltimes.cn Jul 19.
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The project is said to be the largest of its kind in the world, with an estimated annual capacity of 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity – three times that of the Three Gorges Dam, the current biggest – noted the scmp.com Jul 19.
However, the project has raised concerns in India and Bangladesh about the impact on their water and food security. There are also worries about population displacement and major environmental disruption, as well as potential weaponisation of water by China, which could use the dam to cause floods or induce droughts.
China asserts that the project has undergone rigorous scientific evaluation and will not adversely affect the ecological environment, geological stability, or water resource rights of downstream countries. Beijing has also emphasised that it will not try to benefit at the “expense of its neighbours”, the report noted.
Still, India is leaving nothing to chances. It has speeded up its own hydropower projects on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh to address its concerns.
India said in January that it had raised concerns with China about the project in Tibet, adding it will “monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests”.
China responded by saying the dam over the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra in India) would not cause any “negative impact” downstream.
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The project is scheduled to commence commercial operations by 2033.
Apart from serious seismic, ecological, population displacement, and geopolitical concerns, the project also presents great engineering challenges, including in the drilling of multiple 20 km tunnels through the Namcha Barwa massif.
The project is situated at the famous “Great Bend” of the Yarlung Tsangpo, a dramatic loop around the Namcha Barwa mountain, where the river drops roughly 2,000 m over a span of over 50 km, which is also a great engineering challenge.