China has started building a huge hydropower project on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, near the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Chinese Premier Li Qiang led the groundbreaking ceremony in Nyingchi City, where the project will be located. The river is known in the region as the Yarlung Zangbo, and this project is being described as the largest of its kind in the world.
Approved in December last year, the hydropower complex will feature five cascade power stations and involves a total investment of approximately USD 167.8 billion (1.2 trillion yuan). Once completed, the facility is expected to generate over 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually—enough to supply power to more than 300 million people. The project is being positioned as a major boost to China’s renewable energy ambitions.
However, the development has sparked apprehensions in neighboring countries India and Bangladesh, both of which lie downstream. The strategic location near the disputed border area and the region’s vulnerability to earthquakes—being situated on an active tectonic fault line—have heightened regional tensions. Concerns include potential ecological, hydrological, and geopolitical impacts stemming from the project.
