China has approved the construction of the world’s largest dam on Tibet’s Brahmaputra river near the Indian border at a cost of $137 billion, which is believed to be the world’s largest infrastructure project, raising concerns in the riparian states – India and Bangladesh.
The Chinese government has approved the construction of a hydroelectric project on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo river, the Tibetan name for the Brahmaputra, a government statement was quoted as saying. Xinhua News agency on Wednesday (December 25, 2024).
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The Brahmaputra river is about to be dammed at a great gorge in the Himalayas where it takes a huge U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh and then Bangladesh.
Total investment in the dam could exceed one trillion yuan ($137 billion), dwarfing any other single infrastructure project on the planet, including China’s own Three Gorges Dam, which is believed to be the world’s largest in Hong Kong. South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.
China already commissioned the largest $1.5 billion Jam hydroelectric plant in Tibet in 2015.
The Brahmaputra Dam 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and National Economic and Social Development and Long-Term Objectives to 2035 were adopted by the Plenum, the main policy body of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). In 2020.
The dam would empower China to control the flow of water, and its size and scale could leave Beijing with a border area exposed to large volumes of water during hostilities, raising concerns in India.
India is building a dam on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh.
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India and China established an Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) in 2006 to discuss various issues related to transboundary rivers under which China provides India with hydrological information on Brahmaputra River and Sutlej River during flood season.
Data exchange on transboundary rivers was held here on December 18 between India, China’s Special Representative (SR) NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The SRs “provided positive directions for cross-border cooperation and exchange” including data exchange on transboundary rivers, a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The Brahmaputra Dam presents major engineering challenges because the project site is located on a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes occur.
The Tibetan Plateau, which is considered the roof of the world, has frequent earthquakes due to the presence of tectonic plates.
In Wednesday’s official statement, the hydropower project is safe and ecological protection is a priority, trying to reduce earthquake concerns.
Through detailed geological exploration and technological development, a strong foundation has been laid for the science-based, safe and high-quality development of the project,’ he said.
The Brahmaputra flows through the Tibetan Plateau, forming the deepest gorge on Earth and covering a staggering vertical difference of 25,154 feet before reaching India, the Post report said.
The dam will be built in one of the rainiest areas in mainland China, which will bring an abundant flow of water.
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According to the 2023 report, the hydropower station is expected to generate more than 300 billion kWh of electricity each year – enough to meet the annual needs of more than 300 million people.
In 2020, Yan Zhiyong, then chairman of the state-owned China Power Construction Corporation, was quoted in the media as saying that Yarlung Tsangpo’s location is one of the world’s most hydroelectric-rich areas.
“The lower reach area features a vertical drop of 2,000 meters over a distance of 50 km, representing about 70 million kilowatts of resources that can be developed – which is more than the three Three Gorges Dams with an installed capacity of 22.5 million kilowatts,” the post quoted his statement.
It is mentioned in the report that in order to utilize the hydropower potential of the river, four to six 20 km long tunnels should be dug in the Namcha Barwa hills and half of the flow of the river should be drained at about 2,000 cubic meters per second.
Mr. Yan said that the hydropower exploitation of the Yarlung Zangbo River downstream is more than the hydropower project.
Comment Brahmaputra problem
It also makes sense for the environment, national security, living standards, energy and international cooperation.
“This is a national security project including water resources and domestic security,” he said, adding that this project will also facilitate cooperation with South Asia.
He said the hydropower plant could generate 20 billion yuan ($3 billion) in annual income for the Tibet Autonomous Region.
An official statement on Wednesday defended the project, saying it would play a positive role in creating a new development framework and accelerating the country’s efforts to advance high-quality development.
It is also important to advance the country’s strategy for carbon reduction and carbon neutrality and to tackle global climate change, it said.
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Hydropower project is a green project to promote low carbon development. Using the abundant hydropower resources of the Yarlung Zhangbo River, the project will also encourage the development of solar and wind energy resources in the surrounding areas, thus creating a clean energy base featuring a complementary mix of water, wind and solar energy, it said.
This will directly stimulate the rapid growth of industries such as engineering, logistics and business services and create new jobs, it said.
Once completed, the project will further improve electricity, water conservation and transportation infrastructure. This will strengthen the development synergy between Tibet and other regions, he said.
published – Dec 26, 2024 06:17 pm IST