The authorities in Beijing have given the green light to the construction of the world's largest hydroelectric dam, which is to be built on the Yarlung Tsangpo River on the Tibetan Plateau, Reuters reported on Thursday. India and Bangladesh have expressed concerns about the impact of the new facility on the environment.
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 produces (88.2 billion kWh) in the central Chinacurrently the largest in the world – noted Reuters.
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.
China wants carbon neutrality
The new project is expected to play a key role in China achieving its carbon reduction and carbon neutrality goals, as well as boost the development of related industries and create jobs in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Chinese authorities did not inform how many people would have to be resettled in connection with the implementation of the project.
Despite reassuring assurances from the authorities in Beijing, they expressed concerns about the construction of the dam India and Bangladeshlocated in the lower reaches of the river. These countries emphasized that the project may change not only the local ecosystem, but also the course of the river in its lower section.
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