China to build world’s largest dam on Brahmaputra River near Indian border

China has approved the construction of the world’s largest dam, considered the largest infrastructure project on the planet, costing $137 billion, on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, near the Indian border, sparking concerns in Riparian states – India and Bangladesh.

The Chinese government has approved the construction of a hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Tibetan name for the Brahmaputra, according to an official statement cited Wednesday by the official Xinhua news agency.

The dam is to be built in a huge gorge in the Himalayas, where the Brahmaputra River makes a huge U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh and then into Bangladesh.

Total investment in the dam could exceed a trillion yuan ($137 billion), dwarfing any other infrastructure project on the planet, including China’s Three Gorges Dam, considered the largest in the world, the Hong Kong-based company said. Morning Post reported Thursday.

China has already operationalized the $1.5 billion Zam hydropower plant, the largest in Tibet in 2015.

The Brahmaputra Dam was part of the 14^th Five-year plan (2021-2025) and national economic and social development and long-term goals through 2035 adopted by the Plenum, a key policy body of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2020.

Concerns have arisen in India because the dam, in addition to allowing China to control the flow of water, its size and scale could also allow Beijing to release large quantities of water to flood border areas in period of hostilities.

India is also building a dam on the Brahmaputra River in Arunachal Pradesh.

India and China established the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) in 2006 to discuss various issues related to transboundary rivers under which China provides hydrological information to India on the Brahmaputra River and the Sutlej River during flood seasons.

Data sharing on transboundary rivers figured in discussions between India, China’s Special Representatives (SRs) on the border issue, NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held here on December 18.

The SRs “provided positive guidance for cross-border cooperation and exchanges”, including the sharing of data on cross-border rivers, said a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Brahmaputra Dam presents enormous technical challenges because the project site is located along a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes occur.

The Tibetan Plateau, considered the roof of the world, frequently experiences earthquakes because it sits above tectonic plates.

Wednesday’s official statement sought to allay concerns about earthquakes, saying the hydropower project is safe and prioritizes ecological protection.

Through in-depth geological explorations and technical advancements, a solid foundation has been laid for the scientific, safe and high-quality development of the project, the statement said.

The Brahmaputra flows through the Tibetan Plateau, carving the deepest canyon on the planet and traveling a staggering 25,154 feet vertical difference before reaching India, according to the Post report.

The dam will be built in one of the rainiest regions of mainland China, bringing abundant water flows.

According to a 2023 report, the hydroelectric plant is expected to produce more than 300 billion kWh of electricity each year, enough to meet the annual needs of more than 300 million people.

In 2020, Yan Zhiyong, then chairman of the state-owned Power Construction Corporation of China, was quoted in the media as saying that the location of the Yarlung Tsangpo was one of the richest hydropower areas in the world.

“The lower reaches area has a height difference of 2,000 meters over a distance of 50 km, which represents nearly 70 million kilowatts of resources that could be developed, or more than three Three Gorges dams with an installed capacity of 22.5 million kilowatts,” the Post quoted him as saying. he told him.

To harness the river’s hydropower potential, four to six 20km-long tunnels need to be drilled through the Namcha Barwa mountain to divert half of the river’s flow at around 2,000 cubic meters per second, the report said.

Yan said the hydropower operation of the downstream Yarlung Zangbo River is more than a hydropower project.

It is also important for the environment, national security, living standards, energy and international cooperation.

“This is a project for national security, including water resources and internal security,” he said, noting that the project will also facilitate cooperation with South Asia.

The hydropower plant could generate annual revenue of 20 billion yuan ($3 billion) for the Tibet Autonomous Region, he said.

An official statement on Wednesday defended the project, saying it would play a positive role in accelerating the country’s efforts to create a new development model and pursue high-quality development.

This is also of great importance for advancing the country’s strategy on capping carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, as well as addressing global climate change, according to the statement.

The hydroelectric project is a green project aimed at promoting low-carbon development. By harnessing the abundant hydropower resources of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the project will also stimulate the development of solar and wind energy resources in surrounding areas, creating a clean energy base comprising a complementary mix of hydroelectric, wind and solar energy, he added.

This will directly stimulate the rapid growth of sectors such as engineering, logistics and business services, and create new jobs, he added.

Once completed, the project will further improve electricity, water conservation and transportation infrastructure. This will strengthen the development synergy between Tibet and other regions, he added.