World News | China Begins Construction of World's Biggest Dam over Brahmaputra in Tibet

Beijing, Jul 19 (PTI) China on Saturday formally started the construction of the USD 167.8 billion dam over the Brahmaputra river in Tibet, closer to the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced the start of the construction of the dam at a ground-breaking ceremony in the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra river, locally known as Yarlung Zangbo, at Nyingchi City, official media reported.

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The ceremony took place at the dam site of Nyingchi's Mainling hydropower station in Tibet Autonomous Region, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The hydropower project, regarded as the biggest infrastructure project in the world, raised concerns in the lower riparian countries, India and Bangladesh.

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The project will consist of five cascade hydropower stations, with a total investment estimated at around 1.2 trillion Yuan (about USD 167.8 billion), the report said.

According to a 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 over 300 million people.

It will primarily deliver electricity for external consumption while also addressing local demand in Tibet, which China officially refers to as Xizang.

Representatives from various organisations, including the National Development and Reform Commission and the Power Construction Corporation of China and locals attended the ceremony, the report said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)