China to build world's largest hydropower dam in Tibet

China has approved the construction of what will be the world's largest hydropower dam, stoking concerns about displacement of communities in Tibet and environmental impacts downstream in India and Bangladesh.

The dam, which will be located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo river, could generate three times more energy than the Three Gorges Dam, currently the world's largest hydropower plant.

Chinese state media has described the development as "a safe project that prioritises ecological protection", saying it will boost local prosperity and contribute to Beijing's climate neutrality goals.

Human rights groups and experts, however, have raised concerns about the development's knock-on effects.

China has constructed multiple hydropower stations along the course of the Yarlung Tsangpo over the past decade in a bid to harness the river's power as a source of renewable energy. Flowing through the deepest canyon on Earth, one section of the river falls 2,000 metres within a short span of just 50 km, offering huge potential for generating hydropower.

The river's dramatic topography, however, also poses major engineering challenges - and this latest dam is by far China's largest and most ambitious to date.

The site of the development is located along an earthquake-prone tectonic plate boundary. Chinese researchers have also previously flagged concerns that such extensive excavation and construction in the steep and narrow gorge would increase the frequency of landslides.

"Earthquake-induced landslides and mud-rock flows are often uncontrollable and will also pose a huge threat to the project," a senior engineer from Sichuan provincial geological bureau said in 2022.

The project could cost as much as a trillion yuan ($127bn; £109.3bn) according to estimates by the Chongyi Water Resources bureau.