China plans to accelerate the country’s green transition by building the world’s largest hydroelectric plant on the Yarlung Tsangpo River.
China announces that the world’s largest hydropower plant will be built on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet. The country’s government approved the construction of the hydroelectric plant on Wednesday.
The hydropower plant should produce three times more electricity than the current largest hydropower plant, also the Chinese Three Gorges Dam, produces.
Located on the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam produces approximately 84 terawatt hours of electricity per year. The new power plant would therefore produce approximately 250 terawatt hours of electricity per year.
For comparison, for example, Finland’s Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant produces approximately 12 terawatt hours of electricity per year.
The project tells about China’s massive investment in fossil-free energy production. For example, in 2023, China decided to build as much solar power as the entire world in 2022, international the energy organization IEA writes.
Concerns for the environment and people
According to the BBC, the giant project raises concerns for both nature and the environment. A huge construction project could disturb both the human communities in the area and the landscapes and nature of the area.
China has occupied Tibetan areas since the 1950s, and Tibetans criticize China for using the region’s natural resources without caring for the locals. Tibetans have previously criticized the central government’s planned hydroelectric plants in the region, and Chinese authorities have broken up protests with violence.
For example, the Three Gorges Dam built along the Yangtze River in Hubei province required the resettlement of 1.4 million people away from the dam’s affected area.
Source: Reuters