Glacial collapse unlikely to halt China’s plan to build mega dam, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• China is proceeding with the construction of the Yarlung Zangbo Lower Reaches Hydropower Project on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet, despite recent glacial collapse concerns.
• The project is a key component of China's 15th Five-Year Plan for renewable energy development.
• Premier Li Qiang announced the project's commencement in July 2025, with an estimated investment of 1.2 trillion Yuan (approximately ₹14 lakh crore).
• India has raised concerns regarding the dam's potential impact on downstream water flows, ecological balance, and the lack of transparent hydrological data sharing.
• The proposed mega dam is projected to have an installed capacity of 60 GW, generating 300 billion kilowatt-hours annually, significantly exceeding the Three Gorges Dam.

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Detailed Insights:

• The dam is situated in a seismically active zone near the India-China border, raising environmental and safety concerns.
• China's Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing emphasized quality, safety, and ecological protection during his inspection of the project site in Nyingchi.
• The China Yajiang Group, a new State-run entity, has been established to oversee the entire project's development and operation.
• The project design involves diverting water at the "great bend" of the Yarlung Zangbo into a 40-km tunnel to power five 12-GW powerhouses.
• China already operates the Zangmu dam on the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo, which contributes significantly to Tibet's electricity supply.
• India and China are scheduled to convene a meeting of the Expert-Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers to discuss water-related issues.
• China's Foreign Ministry maintains that the project will aid disaster prevention and mitigation without adverse effects on downstream regions.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Transboundary Rivers: Rivers that flow through or form a border between two or more countries, necessitating international cooperation for management.
• Run-of-the-river Dam: A hydroelectric project that utilizes the natural flow and elevation drop of a river to generate power, typically with limited water storage.
• Five-Year Plan: A comprehensive national economic and social development blueprint implemented by the Chinese government for a five-year period.
• Hydropower Project: An infrastructure development designed to generate electricity by converting the kinetic energy of flowing or falling water into electrical energy.