Tibet breaks ground on largest hydropower project in history

China just launched the biggest infrastructure project in history.

On Saturday, Premier Li Qiang visited Nyingchi in the Tibet Autonomous Region to preside over the groundbreaking ceremony of the RMB 1.2 trillion Lower Yarlung Zangbo hydropower project.

• Approved in December 2024 – with feasibility studies dating back to the 1980s – the five-dam cascade is expected to generate 300 TWh of electricity annually by 2035 – more than the UK’s total current annual power output.

Some context: Already the world’s top hydropower producer – with 380 GW of installed capacity, more than the next four countries combined – China is fast running out of rivers to dam.

• That makes the Yarlung Zangbo the final frontier for large-scale expansion.

More context: Despite its role in advancing decarbonization, the megaproject is deeply contentious.

• Beyond its impact on southeastern Tibet’s fragile ecosystems, the project sits atop the Indian-Eurasian tectonic boundary, where high seismic risk leaves zero margin for engineering error.
• With the river winding through Tibet before becoming the Brahmaputra in India and Bangladesh, the project has drawn concern in New Delhi that China could use the dam to weaponize the supply of water.

Get smart: The project won't just export massive volumes of renewable energy to power-hungry coastal provinces.

• It is also designed to act as a giant battery – stabilizing the grid as China scales up intermittent wind and solar capacity in its decarbonization drive.

Get smarter: Beyond energy security, policymakers likely also have state-building on the mind.

• The megadam will anchor an unprecedented wave of industrial and infrastructure investment in Tibet – deepening Beijing’s control over the politically sensitive region.