Inside China’s Controversial $167 Billion Mega-Dam

Project Overview - China is planning to build the Yaxia Hydropower Project (Lower Yarlung Hydropower Project) at The Great Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, a project considered even more ambitious than the Three Gorges Dam [1][5] - The project aims to dominate hydropower generation, potentially becoming the world's largest individual source of energy [7][8] - Analysts are using social media, state television, and satellite images to understand the project's design due to limited official information [9] Engineering and Design - The project is envisioned as a diversion project, potentially consisting of a series of hydropower stations along the river, including upstream and downstream dams with underground tunnels [9][10] - The scale of the project is considered novel, with engineers potentially doubting the feasibility of building it in such a remote location [12] - The volume of water diverted will be similar to the discharge of a medium-sized river like the Rhine in Europe [11] Power Generation and Capacity - The project is expected to have an installed capacity of 60 gigawatts [8] - The Chinese government estimates the project will generate approximately 300 billion kilowatt hours per year, exceeding the UK's annual usage and about three times more than the Three Gorges Dam generates [8] Environmental and Geopolitical Considerations - The project is located in an earthquake-prone area, requiring tunneling through rising mountains [2] - The project could affect hundreds of millions of lives downstream in neighboring India and Bangladesh, potentially creating tensions over water resources [2] - The Great Bend is characterized by a significant elevation drop of about 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) over a 50 kilometer (31 miles) distance, making it the world's steepest and deepest canyon [5][6][7]