Environmentalists and China's neighbors fear the consequences of the hydroelectric dam that Beijing is building in Tibet. Although it is to be the largest facility of this type in the world, no details of the project have been provided. – China's discretion fuels distrust – says an expert quoted by The New York Times.
Authorities in Beijing approved in December 2024 the construction of Motuo, the world's largest hydroelectric dam, to be built on the Yarlung Zangbo River on the Tibetan Plateau. The new project is expected to play a key role in achieving by China carbon reduction and carbon neutrality targets, as well as giving impetus to the development of related industries and creating jobs in the region – reported the Xinhua news agency.
The “large and mysterious” dam project in China was described on Monday by The New York Times. As the American daily notes, the plan to build a dam in the Mêdog district raises concerns among ecologists and China's neighbors. One of the reasons is the fact that Beijing discloses little information about the project – the planned investment costs and the source of its financing are unknown. It is also unknown how many people will be displaced from their homes.
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Mysterious dam design
Why are ecologists concerned? As “NYT” reminds, earthquakes occur in the area where the dam is being built, which threaten the safety of this type of structure. After the city of Xigaze (Shigatse) was hit in early January earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1Chinese authorities reported cracks at five dams in Tibet. According to experts cited by “NYT”, even if Motuo is constructed to withstand seismic events, the likelihood of dangerous events may increase due to the huge excavations during the construction of the dam. “Landslides and mudslides resulting from earthquakes are difficult to stop and can kill people living nearby,” writes the New York daily.
The Yarlung Zangbo River, where the new dam is being built, also flows through India and Bangladesh. Scientists from these countries have asked Beijing to share details of the project to better assess the risk to people in the region. – If the dam retains sediment, the soil along the river may become less fertile and the banks (…) in India will erode – said Kalyan Rudra, a professor of river sciences at the Indian government body West Bengal Pollution Control Board, in an interview with “NYT” .
Yarlung Tsangpo River (illustrative photo)Biao Liu/Shutterstock
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“Hydrohegemony” on the border
– China's discretion fuels distrust – says Genevieve Donnellon-May, a resource management expert quoted by the New York daily. – Without Beijing disclosing hydrological data and detailed plans for the construction of the dam, India and Bangladesh remain uninformed, so it is more difficult to prepare to mitigate the potential effects of its construction – she emphasized.
The construction of the giant dam can be seen as an attempt to show Chinese power near the disputed border with India, says “NYT”. The daily reminds that China and India “accuse each other of trying to take control of water resources to obtain strategic or economic benefits, which some experts and officials call 'hydrohegemony'.”
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Record-breaking dam in China
According to estimates by the Chinese state-owned company Power Construction Corp. from 2020, the hydroelectric power plant connected to the dam will be able to produce 300 billion hWh of electricity per year. This is more than three times as much as the Three Gorges Dam (88.2 billion kWh) in central China, currently the largest in the world, produces – Reuter wrote last year. As the agency added, the expected cost of the project is also expected to be higher. The construction of the Three Gorges Dam cost over 254 million yuan (approx. USD 35 billion), which is more than four times as much as originally estimated, and involved the displacement of approximately 1.4 million people.
The construction of the Three Gorges Dam was hampered by, among other things, ecological concerns. The 185-meter-high dam created a great one a body of water 600 kilometers long upstream of the Yangtze River. Large areas were flooded for its needs. According to ecologists, there are many toxic pollutants under the water. In addition, previously existing ecosystems in a large area were completely destroyed.
The New York Times, tvn24.pl
Main photo source: Shutterstock