HONG KONG/SHANGHAI: According to the official Xinhua news agency, China’s Premier Li Qiang declared that work had started on the largest hydropower dam in the world. It will be built on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and is expected to cost about $170 billion.
With plans to begin operations in the 2030s, the dam is China’s most ambitious hydropower project since the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze.
The dam will be situated in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo and will consist of five cascade hydropower plants. In just 50 kilometers (31 miles), a portion of the river drops a spectacular 2,000 meters (6,561 feet), providing enormous hydropower potential.
