On Saturday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang kicked off a colossal hydropower project on Tibet’s Yarlung Tsangpo river, with a staggering investment of 1.2 trillion yuan ($167 billion), according to Xinhua News Agency. The project, managed by the newly formed China Yajiang Group, involves constructing five cascade dams in Nyingchi, southeast Tibet.

The generated power will primarily supply regions outside Tibet, with some allocated for local use, though specifics on capacity remain undisclosed. This ambitious venture ranks among the world’s costliest infrastructure projects and is poised to boost China’s economic growth.

However, the dam has sparked concerns beyond China’s borders, particularly in India. The Yarlung Tsangpo flows through Arunachal Pradesh, feeding into the Brahmaputra, one of India’s vital rivers. This has raised fears of potential downstream disruptions, despite Beijing’s assurances that the project will not harm neighboring regions.

Environmentalists are also sounding alarms. The dam is located in the Yarlung Tsangpo gorge, a biodiversity hotspot and national nature reserve where the river plunges 2,000 meters over just 50 kilometers. Critics warn of irreversible ecological damage, threatening one of China’s most pristine ecosystems.

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As construction begins, the project could escalate tensions between China and India while posing significant environmental risks, making it a focal point of regional and global scrutiny.

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