China claims its highly dangerous, world’s biggest hydroelectric dam in Tibet will pose no serious threat to downstream India

(TibetanReview.net, Dec28’24) –After reporting its approval of a plan to build “a dam” close to India’s border in occupied Tibet’s Yarlung Tsangpo, and it was later revealed by various news reports to be for the world’s largest hydroelectric project – or, in fact, the planet’s biggest infrastructure project ever – China has on Dec 27 sought to allay concerns that it posed serious threats to downstream countries India and Bangladesh. But neither country is likely to feel assuaged by mere words-of-mouth assurances.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has said the project aimed to speed up developing clean energy, and respond to climate change and extreme hydrological disasters.

“China has always been responsible for the development of cross-border rivers. China’s hydropower development in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River aims to speed up developing clean energy, and respond to climate change and extreme hydrological disasters. The hydropower development there has been studied in an in-depth way for decades, and safeguard measures have been taken for the security of the project and ecological environment protection,” the timesofindia.com Dec 27 quoted Mao as saying.

“The project will not negatively affect the lower reaches. China will continue to maintain communication with countries at the lower reaches through existing channels, and step up cooperation on disaster prevention and relief for the benefit of the people by the river,” she has added.

China had previously agreed to share hydrological data with downstream India under a 2006 deal, but failed to do so after bilateral ties sored over cross-border issues.

The construction site is located at a significant gorge where the Yarlung Tsangpo forms a U-turn before flowing into India’s Arunachal Pradesh state as Siang and Brahmaputra rivers and eventually into Bangladesh. When completed it could generate three times the power of the Three Gorges Dam.

The project’s total investment is expected to exceed one trillion yuan (USD 137 billion), surpassing all other infrastructure projects globally, including China’s Three Gorges Dam, currently considered the world’s largest, as reported the South China Morning Post on Dec 26.

China’s current biggest hydroelectric dam project in Tibet is the USD 1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station, which commenced operations in 2015.

The latest project was incorporated into China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and National Economic and Social Development, along with Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, adopted by the CPC Plenum in 2020.

India’s concerns stem from China’s potential to control the river’s water flow, including its possible release of huge volumes during conflicts, given the dam’s unprecedented scale.

Apart from that, the dam’s construction faces significant engineering challenges due to its location on a tectonic plate boundary prone to earthquakes.

The report said the Trans-border river data sharing was discussed during talks between India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, serving as Special Representatives for border questions, on Dec 18.

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