Kathmandu. China has started construction of a dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet at an investment of USD 167.8 billion (Rs 23,101.58 billion) from Saturday.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang laid the foundation stone of the lower part of the Brahmaputra river in Nyingchi city amid a ceremony. This river is locally called Yarlung Zangbo.
According to state-run Xinhua news agency, the foundation stone was laid at the dam site of the Menling Hydropower Station in Nyingchi in tibet autonomous region.
The dam will be the world’s largest hydropower project. This hydropower project is three times the world’s largest three gorges hydropower project currently in operation in China.
Low-lying countries, India and Bangladesh have expressed concern after China announced the construction of the project on the Brahmaputra river. However, a study on the impact of the Brahmaputra river dam, published in Issue 45 of the Journal of Hydrology{{TAG_CLOSE_a_19} in February 2023, states that the dam construction will control the flood-affected areas in the coastal areas of India and Bangladesh by 32.56 and 14.8 percent.
According to the report published in 2023, the under-construction hydropower project is expected to generate more than 300 billion kilowatts per hour of electricity annually. This generation is enough to meet the annual electricity needs of more than 300 million people. The power generation capacity of the Three Gorzel Dam project is 88.2 billion kilowatts per hour.
It will provide electricity primarily for external consumption and will also address local demand in Tibet, which China officially identifies as Xizang.
Representatives of various organizations, including the National Development and Reform Commission and the Power Construction Corporation of China, and locals were present at the ceremony, the report said.
